Lightning deaths: 6 fatalities so far this year

So far in 2024, there have been 6 confirmed lightning fatalities. July has the largest 10-year average of lightning deaths.

This year two out of the 6 deaths have been reported in Florida. The most recent death in Florida happened on June 30, as storms took over that Sunday morning. A 19-year-old man was walking in a park in Davie, Florida, and shelter from a storm under a tree.

Florida leads in lightning deaths every year, and since 2006 there have been 90 deaths to date. So far this year, two lightning fatalities have been reported in Florida, both have been men walking in parks while thunderstorms are present, the other gentleman was 73 years old in Tallahassee, Florida.

It’s summer and thunderstorms are more common, especially in the south. Please stay indoors in a safe place when storms are threatening your area or building nearby. Remember that all storms have lightning, and it doesn’t have to reach severe levels for lightning to develop. Lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from the base of a thunderstorm. You can see how close lightning is to your location using our LightningRadar.