Lightning and Lightning Safety

This year (2024) marks the 24^th annual Lightning Safety Awareness Week across the United States. In the 24 years since the effort began, the U.S. has seen a marked decrease in lightning fatalities. In 2001, when the campaign began, the U.S. averaged 55 deaths per year based on the previous 10 years average from 1991-2000. Over the past 10 years (2014-2023) the U.S. has averaged about 21 deaths per year. Based on these statistics, hundreds of lives have been saved since the campaign began. Much of the success of this campaign can be attributed to the educational and awareness efforts of broadcasters, the National Lightning Safety Council (NLSC), and the National Weather Service.

As successful as the lightning safety efforts have been, currently, between 15 and 20 people are typically killed each year in the United States with hundreds more injured. Most of these deaths and injuries could be prevented if people took the appropriate safety precautions in a timely manner. The broadcast media play a vital role in not only warning people of thunderstorms, but also helping people understand the dangers of lightning so that they are able and willing to get to safety before the lightning threat becomes significant.

In this talk, I will present information on the science of lightning, discuss lightning safety issues, answer some of the most frequently asked questions, and provide the latest information on lightning fatalities in the United States. In addition, I will show some of the NLSC resources available to help the media provide relevant information to their viewers, listeners, and readers.