Florida Leads Nation In Number Of People Killed By Lightning

FLORIDA — The National Weather Service will observe National Lightning Awareness Week through Saturday, a week that began in 2001 to call attention to the underrated killer.

Since observing the week and creating greater awareness of the dangers of lightning, U.S. lightning fatalities have dropped from about 55 per year to fewer than 30, according to the NWS.

It's an especially important week for Floridians to observe, said Tampa Bay National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist Daniel Noah.

Florida's unique location surrounded by warm water provides the necessary ingredients for thunderstorms to form, earning Florida the title of Lightning Capital of the USA.

Lightning is the one weather phenomenon that even the most sophisticated forecasting equipment can't predict. It strikes without warning.

On June 10, a lightning bolt in Merritt Island ignited a palm tree and sent three girls to the hospital.

A neighbor heard the deafening crack of thunder and discovered his neighbor and her two friends, aged 12 to 14, on the ground. He told Click Orlando that one girl's skin turned purple, and her mouth was burned. He performed CPR on the girl until emergency services arrived to take over.

Lori Leer, 14, remained in intensive care at the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.

Her family said they're unsure how long the girl went without oxygen, and it's unknown if she suffered brain damage, although she is now conscious.

Friends created a GoFundMe page, a Patch promotional partner, which has already collected $12,192 for the girl's medical expenses.

On April 5, a father and daughter from Chicago were struck by lightning across the street from Steinbrenner Field in Tampa on their way from a New York Yankees spring training game.

The weather had taken a turn for the worse, and the game was cut short. Ashley Moberg, 19, and her father, John, were returning to their car when they heard a loud boom and saw a bright flash, Lori Moberg told Patch promotional partner AccuWeather.

“It was like somebody shined a flashlight in your eye. All you saw was white," Ashley Moberg said. "And the boom, it sounded like a bomb went off."

She said she could see her father flying through the air as she was blasted out of her shoes and landed on the pavement.

"I had this sense I was falling on my face but it was like being in a dream," John Moberg told AccuWeather. "Then I woke up, my face was in the mud and I was totally paralyzed. For a moment, Ashley thought I was dead."

They were taken to Tampa General Hospital, where they were treated and discharged two days later. When the Yankees heard what happened to them, they sent the father and daughter an autographed baseball and game tickets.

"You never think something's going to happen to you, and you should heed the warnings," John Moberg said.

Noah said he couldn't agree more.

In the three milliseconds it takes for a lightning bolt to course through a human body, it can cause third-degree burns, singe hair, catch clothing on fire and literally knock the shoes off your feet, as Ashley Moberg can attest.

Some survivors have compared a lightning strike to the pain of a thousand wasps stinging from within.

Blood vessels may burst from the electric charge, creating a pattern of scars along the vessels.
It's not uncommon for the blast to rupture the eardrums, possibly leading to hearing loss.

Cardiac arrest is the most common cause of death following a lightning strike. The lightning disrupts the heart's electrical rhythm.

It can also cause seizures, respiratory arrest and paralysis, something John Moberg experienced, albeit temporarily.

If it enters through the skull, it can superheat the brain, causing brain damage or coma.

The corridor from Tampa Bay to Titusville, nicknamed Lightning Alley, receives the most lightning in the United States on an annual basis. See all the lightning events that occurred in Florida; 21 events were reported between Feb. 1, 2021, and Feb. 1, 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported.

More than 90 percent of the lightning in the area occurs between May and October in the hours between noon and midnight.

People in Central Florida who spend a large portion of their lives outdoors (e.g. construction workers, park rangers, golfers, campers) were much more likely to be struck than at any other time or anywhere else in the country.

"It's important to understand the dangers associated with this weather phenomena and what you need to do to stay safe when thunderstorms threaten," Noah said. "There is no safe place outside when thunderstorms are in the area. If you hear thunder, you are likely within striking distance of the storm. Just remember, 'When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors.'"

He said many people wait far too long to get to a safe place when thunderstorms approach.

"Unfortunately, these delayed actions lead to many of the lightning deaths and injuries in the U.S.," Noah said.

Between 2006 and 2021, 86 people died as a result of lightning strikes, according to the National Lightning Safety Council. In most of these cases, the victims were only steps away from safety when they were struck. They either failed to recognize the danger of a nearby thunderstorm or failed to respond quickly enough to that threat.

Ten of the fatalities occurred on the beach or in the water at a beach. Others were killed while grilling in the back yard, repairing a roof, doing yard work, riding a motorcycle, swimming in a backyard pool, fishing, camping, golfing, playing soccer, playing football and even walking through a parking lot to a car, like the Mobergs. (click here to see all fatalities).

"When you hear thunder, seek cover as quickly as possible in either a substantial building or hard-topped metal vehicle and remain there for at least 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder," St. Pete Beach Fire Marshal Kelly Intzes advised, adding there is no safe place outside. That includes carports, open garages, covered patios or pavilions, she said.

St. Pete Beach Fire Chief Jim Kilpatrick said it's especially important to stay away from isolated tall trees, towers or utility poles, since lightning tends to strike taller objects in an area. Metal and water are both strong conductors of electricity, and an electrical current can travel long distances through them.

Counting the seconds between lightning and thunder to see how close it is to you is no wives' tale," Noah said. Forecasters call it the "flash-to-bang method."

The air in a lightning strike is heated to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The rapid heating of the air produces the shock wave that results in thunder.

When you see a flash, count the seconds until you hear the bang of thunder and divide the number by five. That gives you the number of miles the lighting is away from you.

If it takes 15 seconds between the time you see a lightning flash and hear the rumble of thunder, then the lightning flash is three miles from your location. You shouldn't wait any longer than 30 seconds between the lightning flash and thunder boom to seek shelter.

The Lightning Safety Council offered these tips if a storm approaches while you're outdoors.

• Get out of the water. This includes pools, lakes, rivers, oceans, water rides and even puddled water.
• Put down metal objects such as fishing poles, golf clubs, tennis rackets and tools.
• Dismount from tractors and heavy construction equipment. Do not seek shelter under the equipment.
• Move away from metal objects such as fences, sheds, telephone and power lines and pipelines.
• Seek cover in an enclosed building or vehicle with a hard top.

When indoors during a thunderstorm, do the following.

• Avoid contact with corded phones.
• Avoid contact with electrical equipment or cords. If you plan to unplug any electrical equipment, do so before the storm arrives.
• Avoid contact with plumbing. When thunderstorms are occurring, do not take a shower or bath, wash dishes or do the laundry. Wait until after the storm.
• Move away from windows and doors. Do not stay on the porch.

If you're on the scene when lightning strikes a person, do the following.

1. Call 911 immediately.
2. Determine if the victim is unconscious. Call out his name or gently shake him. If there is no response, check to see if he is breathing.
3. Gently roll the victim onto her back. If the victim is not breathing, you will need to perform CPR until the paramedics arrive. Use the American Heart Association's "ABCs of CPR" to guide you through the process.
   • Airway: clear obstructed airways.
   • Breathing: perform mouth-to-mouth.
   • Circulation: start chest compressions.

Other lightning facts from the National Weather Service.

• One death occurs for every 345,000 flashes of lightning.
• The average number of thunderstorms occurring worldwide at any given moment is 2,000.
• The average number of lightning strikes worldwide every second is 100.
• The average number of lightning strikes worldwide per day is 8.6 million.
• There are between 100 million and 1 billion volts of electricity in a lightning flash.
• The average lightning flash would light a 100-watt light bulb for three months.
• The estimated diameter of a lightning channel is about 1 inch.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister posted a public service announcement for National Lightning Awareness week.