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Weather

Lightning Dangers

The National Weather Service publication Storm Data recorded a total of 3,885 deaths from lightning strikes between 1959 and 2008. According to the National Weather Service, lightning causes an average of 80 deaths and 300 injuries in the United States each year.

During a thunderstorm, avoid open spaces, trees, telephone booths, and ballparks. The safest place to be is in a building, preferably one with a lightning rod. The rod offers protection by intercepting lightning—an electrical charge—and transmitting its current into the ground. The other safe place is a car with the windows rolled up, as long as you don't touch any of the metal parts. If lightning strikes, the car's metal body will conduct the charge down to the ground—contrary to popular belief, the rubber of the wheels offers no protection.

Reported Lightning Deaths Per State, 1959—2008

State	Deaths	Rank
Alabama	106	12
Alaska	0	51
Arizona	70	24
Arkansas	122	11
California	28	33
Colorado	138	6
Connecticut	15	42
Delaware	15	42
D.C.	5	49
Florida	455	1
Georgia	106	13
Hawaii	0	52
Idaho	26	38
Illinois	100	16
Indiana	87	22
Iowa	72	23
Kansas	63	27
Kentucky	91	19
Louisiana	136	8
Maine	27	34
Maryland	124	10
Massachusetts	27	35
Michigan	105	14
Minnesota	60	28
Mississippi	103	15
Missouri	91	20
Montana	27	36
Nebraska	45	31
Nevada	7	48
New Hampshire	8	45
New Jersey	67	25
New Mexico	88	21
New York	137	7
North Carolina	187	3
North Dakota	12	44
Ohio	143	4
Oklahoma	99	17
Oregon	8	46
Pennsylvania	128	9
Puerto Rico	33	32
Rhode Island	8	47
South Carolina	98	18
South Dakota	23	40
Tennessee	140	5
Texas	207	2
Utah	49	30
Vermont	15	43
Virginia	65	26
Washington	5	50
West Virginia	26	39
Wisconsin	59	29
Wyoming	27	37

Source: National Severe Storms Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Reported Lightning Deaths Per Capita, 1959—2008

State	Death rate per million people 1959–2008	Rank
New Mexico	1.33	1
Wyoming	1.30	2
Arkansas	1.11	3
Colorado	0.96	4
Florida	0.90	5
Mississippi	0.84	6
Montana	0.70	7
Louisiana	0.69	8
Oklahoma	0.68	9
Utah	0.67	10
South Dakota	0.66	11
South Carolina	0.63	12
North Carolina	0.62	13
Tennessee	0.62	14
Vermont	0.60	15
Maryland	0.58	16
Nebraska	0.57	17
Idaho	0.56	18
Alabama	0.56	19
Kansas	0.53	20
Kentucky	0.52	21
Iowa	0.51	22
Delaware	0.49	23
Maine	0.48	24
Arizona	0.45	25
North Dakota	0.38	26
Georgia	0.37	27
Missouri	0.37	28
Indiana	0.32	29
Wisconsin	0.29	30
Minnesota	0.29	31
Texas	0.28	32
West Virginia	0.28	33
Ohio	0.27	34
Puerto Rico	0.25	35
Virginia	0.24	36
Michigan	0.23	37
Pennsylvania	0.22	38
New Jersey	0.18	39
Illinois	0.18	40
New Hampshire	0.17	41
Rhode Island	0.17	42
New York	0.15	43
D.C.	0.15	44
Nevada	0.15	45
Connecticut	0.10	46
Massachusetts	0.09	47
Oregon	0.06	48
Washington	0.02	49
California	0.02	50
Alaska	0	51
Hawaii	0	51

Source: National Severe Storms Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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Lightning Deaths 1998-2007

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Lightning Dangers

Reported Lightning Deaths Per State, 1959—2008

Reported Lightning Deaths Per Capita, 1959—2008

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