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Subject: Lightning: the Underrated Killer
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LIGHTNING: THE UNDERRATED KILLER
By Edwin P. Weigel
NOAA Reprint Vol. 6 Number 2 April 1976
Lightning kills more people in the United States than tornadoes,
floods, or hurricanes.
During the 34-year period that ended Jan. 1, 1974, lightning was
responsible for the deaths of about 7,000 Americans, or 55 percent
more than were killed by tornadoes and at least 41 percent more
than were killed by hurricanes and floods combined.
This total of lightning deaths is undoubtedly conservative,
statistics-gatherers agree. Many are not included in national
summaries because lightning usually kills only one person at a
time. Occasionally there are two deaths from a single stroke;
rarely as many as three or more (although multiple numbers of
injured from a single bolt are not uncommon.)
Lightning deaths don't attract nationwide attention, as do the
more-spectacular hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, which may kill
hundreds and cause many millions of dollars in property damage in
a single episode.
Paradoxically, though, the statistics available indicate that the
annual numbers of lightning deaths in recent years have been much
lower than death tolls earlier in this century, even though the
U.S. population has increased greatly. There were, for example,
120 per year for the decade ending with 1973, compared to an
average of 329 per year during the decade of the 1940's. This
apparent drop is misleading. To understand why, it's necessary to
know a little about the complex subject of natural-disaster
statistics.
Annual death tolls for hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods are
prepared by NOAA's National Climatic Center in Asheville, N.C., and
published in its annual "Climatological Data, National Summary."
But lightning death tolls are not included in this summary, even
though the Center receives each month tallies of lightning deaths
and injuries from field offices of the National Weather Service and
publishes them in a monthly periodical called "Storm Data."
Why? "Because we are confident that any annual total of lightning
deaths we could provide would be too low for the nation as a
whole," says Marvin Burley, chief of the Cooperative Data Branch of
the Climatic Center. "Weather Service field units can't possibly
learn about all of the lightning fatalities in their areas of
responsibility. Their principal assignment is forecasting the
weather, and this takes precedence over tabulating storm deaths,
injuries and damage, although they do the best they can."
Then who does supply lightning fatality statistics for the nation?"
For years, this information has been provided by the National
Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Public Health Service,
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The Center bases its
totals on causes of death listed on certificates signed by
physicians.
A logical first reaction is that these death certificates should
provide an even more-accurate count than other sources, since such
certificates are prepared one by one, by skilled medical examiners.
But there is a flaw in this reasoning, based on a change that took
place in the Health Service's rules for tabulating lightning deaths
more than 20 years ago.
According to Marvin D. Magnuson, former Regional Climatologist for
the Western Region of the National Weather Service, "Statistics
compiled by the Public Health Service prior to 1953 contain other
causes of death, such as those resulting from fires started by
lightning. In 1953, Health Service coding rules were modified so
that all deaths caused by any accident that was secondary to the
effects of lightning were to be assigned to that cause rather than
lightning."
As a result, said Magnuson, deaths from lightning, which formerly
totaled from 300 to 400 a year, have been greatly reduced in the
record book since 1953.
Without debating whether deaths in lightning-caused fires should or
should not be included as lightning fatalities, understanding the
topic requires at least a cursory look at the number of lightning-
caused fires, and an estimate of the possible number of fatalities
therein.
To do this, one must look, first, at the number of fire deaths
annually in the United States, and, second, at the proportion of
fires caused by lightning. This can be done by examining "Accident
Facts," an annual publication of the National Safety Council, which
draws on a number of sources for its statistics.
In the 1975 edition, the Council lists a Health Service total of
4,362 fire deaths in private dwellings for the year 1973. In that
same issue, the Council lists National Fire Protection Association
statistics for 1973 indicating there were slightly more than a
million fires for all causes that year, of which 21,600 or two
percent were started by lightning. If one assumes that two percent
of the fire deaths in private dwellings that year were also
attributable, indirectly, to lightning, that would add 87 deaths to
the 124 lightning fatalities reported in 1973 by the Health
Service, for a total of 211.
A rough guess, true, but even this does not take into account
indirect fatalities resulting from lightning-felled trees,
electrocution by lightning-downed power lines, and deaths in forest
fires started by lightning, all of which occur with some frequency.
(Most forest fires in western U.S. are kindled by lightning.)
So it's clear that the real dimension of lightning's role as a
killer, while uncertain at best, is undeniably a leading one when
compared with other weather hazards.
U.S. Weathermen, seeking ways to reduce the annual lightning toll,
can point to a number of statistics which offer clues as to where
the greatest hazard lies and where to go and what to do to reduce
that hazard.
One set shows that if you stay inside or get inside your home or a
similarly large structure, you are in very little danger of being
killed by lightning. This fact shows up clearly both in statistics
from the National Center for Health Statistics and from NOAA's
"Storm Data."
The Health Service statistics show this indirectly. Their figures
are broken down by sex and by age. For the 10-year period 1964
through 1973, 1,015 of the 1,198 people killed by lightning--85
percent-- were male. The trend was very consistent, with the
lowest proportion of males in 1965--80 percent--and the highest in
1966--89 percent. Since boys and men are outdoors so much more
than women the conclusion is obvious that the danger is chiefly
there.
This conclusion is further reinforced in the breakdown by age.
Considerably more than half of the males killed by lightning were
aged 10 to 35--when outdoor recreation and work are engaged in the
most.
That lightning danger is largely outdoors is also shown vividly in
various studies by other authoritative persons and organizations
and in the one year log of "killer-lightning incidents" culled from
"Storm Data," which appears with this article.
Other definite patterns emerge from these studies.
In 1964, Magnuson, writing on "Accidents and Deaths from Weather
Extremes" for "Medical Climatology," said that "on the average"
during that period "175 persons were fatally injured each year by
lightning" with "more than 70 percent of these fatalities"
occurring during "June through August" and "only an occasional
death" in winter. He added:
"It appears that city dwellers are somewhat protected by large
steel-frame buildings. These tall structures tend to shield the
adjacent areas and safely conduct the lightning into the ground.
In rural areas trees--particularly isolated ones--are more likely
targets because of their height. About one fourth of all
fatalities from lightning have resulted from persons seeking
shelter under trees....Males' deaths outnumber female deaths by
four to one. A considerable number of farmers are killed while
operating tractors in the field: in urban areas, the golf course
has been a prime target."
In 1967, Ferdinand H. Zegel, of the ESSA Atmospheric Physics and
Chemistry Laboratory, confirmed Magnuson's conclusions in an
article in "Weatherwise" entitled "lightning Deaths in the United
States: A Seven Year Survey from 1959 to 1965." Zegel also
provided other useful generalizations and statistics. Among them:
....70 percent of al lightning deaths are single events--defined as
a single death due to a single discharge.
....Nearly 15 percent of all lightning deaths occur in groups of
two; the balance being three or more deaths in a single event.
....About 70 percent of all injuries and fatalities occur in the
afternoon, 20 percent between 6 p.m. and midnight, 10 percent
between 6 a.m. and noon, and about one percent between midnight and
6:00 a.m.
....While there were lightning injuries reported in all of the
lower 48 states during that period, Washington and Oregon reported
no lightning fatalities, and Alaska and Hawaii reported neither
lightning deaths nor injuries.
....There is a higher-than-average incidence of lightning
fatalities along some of the nation's principal waterways--the
Mississippi, Ohio and Hudson Rivers and their drainage basins.
....Other lightning-prone areas are along the Gulf Coast,
particularly the Tampa, Fla., area, and in the mountains of
Colorado.
Zegel also explored the situations in which lightning casualties
occurred. He included a table of 960 persons killed and 1,736
injured by lightning in the U.S.--1959 through 1965--in which he
singled out five important categories: "under trees," "open
water," "tractors," "golf," and "telephone." He explained that:
"Open water" included casualties among people swimming and being
near or on beaches, piers, levees, small boats, water skis, and so
on.
"Tractors" included people on, in, or near farm tractors and other
implements, construction equipment, cars and trucks.
"Golf" did not include golfers in the "under trees" category.
"Telephone" consisted of people killed and injured while talking on
a phone.
Zegel did not say whether people killed "under trees" were known to
have been standing under isolated trees or in a forest, although
other investigators say it's usually the former. Out of the total
2,696 lightning deaths and injuries during the seven-year period,
Zegel extracted 643 which were known to have fallen into these five
categories with the following results.
....Eight percent (102 dead, 120 injured) were know to have been
under trees.
....A little more than five percent (78 dead, 70 injured) were in
or near open water.
....A little less than five percent (69 dead, 60 injured) were in
the "tractor" category, but only four of the injured and none of
the dead were known to have been inside a car or truck.
....Almost four percent (36 dead and 68 injured) were golfers in
some other situation than taking shelter under trees.
....About one percent (4 killed, 36 injured) were talking on the
telephone. (Zegel said he included this category because "many
people do not consider the telephone as a lethal instrument though
telephones, especially rural lines, are capable of acquiring great
electric charges.")
Zegel did not categorize the remaining 2,053 lightning deaths and
injuries in his study (very frequently, the exact causes are not
known), but he did say many people were killed when in open fields.
Another broad-gage effort to categorize lightning deaths and
injuries was made by Dr. Martin A. Uman in a book, "Understanding
Lightning," published in 1971, when Uman was with Westinghouse
Research Laboratories in Pittsburgh, Pa. (He is now a professor of
electrical engineering at the University of Florida in
Gainesville.)
Uman said he constructed his book around the question almost always
asked him by people--ranging from high-school students to
scientists--when he was lecturing about lightning. Among these, of
course, were questions about how many and in what ways people were
killed and injured by lightning, and what people can do to avoid
it.
Like other researchers, Uman said "no exact figures on lightning
fatalities are available," but added that, whatever the number,
lightning causes more direct deaths than any other weather
phenomena." Among other statements:
....About two thirds of the people involved in lightning accidents
make a full recovery. Most of these are probably not struck
directly, but receive a shock from being in close proximity to a
stroke.
....The largest single category of lightning deaths--12 to 15
percent--is composed of people who seek refuge under trees during
thunderstorms, and perhaps a third of these are golfers.
....Two of the categories mentioned by Zegel--"open water" and
"tractors"--each probably claim about 10 percent of the total.
....Most lightning deaths occur outdoors, with more than 30 percent
involving people who work there and more than 25 percent involving
outdoor recreationists.
....Relatively few people are killed indoors by lightning, with the
greatest number of indoor deaths probably due to lightning-caused
fires, and a smaller proportion of indoor deaths and injuries
involving people using telephones or standing by or touching
fixtures connected to house plumbing or electrical wiring.
Drawing on a previously unpublished analysis of deaths and injuries
from lightning during the 20-year period 1950 through 1969--
prepared from National Climatic Center data by Alan R. Taylor of
the U.S. Forest Service--Uman presented the following conclusion:
....Of the 2,054 people killed by lightning in this study and the
4,156 injured, 494 of those killed (24 percent) and 941 of those
injured (23 percent) were outdoor recreationists. Uman said the
annual percentages in the recreationist category were rising in the
later years.
....Farmers and ranchers made up 587 or 29 percent of those killed
and 714 or 17 percent of those injured by lightning.
A further breakdown was made of casualties among outdoor
recreationists.
....Of the 494 killed, 200 or 40 percent were in, on, or near open
water, and 177 or 19 percent of the 941 injured were in that
category.
....Golfers comprised 95 or 19 percent of those killed and 164 or
17 percent of those injured.
....Campers and picnickers comprised 36 or 7 percent of those
killed and 188 or 20 percent of those injured.
....Viewers or participants in athletics comprised 29 or 6 percent
of those killed and 65 or 7 percent of those injured.
Recreationists in, on, or near a land vehicle comprised seven of
those killed and eight of those injured (about 1 percent or less).
....Horseback riders (for pleasure) comprised nine killed and eight
injured (also a very small percentage).
Because the proportion of lightning casualties associated with
water was so high, Uman included a still further breakdown in that
category, as follows:
....Of the 200 killed and 177 injured, 39 of those killed and 30 of
those injured were fishing from shore or bank.
....Thirty-three fishermen in boats were killed and 21 were
injured.
....Thirty other boaters were killed and 38 injured.
....Nine swimmers were killed and nine injured.
>From studies such as these, drawn from years of case histories
provided by the National Weather Service, the National Climatic
Center, and other agencies, it had been possible to draw up a list
of useful safety rules for avoiding death or injury from lightning.
First, of course, is to get the latest weather forecast before
setting forth to work outside, or before embarking on a
recreational outing. If there is a chance of thunderstorms, take
a small battery-operated radio along to get occasional updates, and
be ready to seek shelter if a severe thunderstorm watch or warning
is announced. The more severe the thunderstorm, the greater the
intensity and frequency of lightning strokes.
"And by all means develop the habit of keeping a weather eye on the
sky," says Professor Helmut E. Landsberg, former Weather Bureau
scientist and now Director of the Institute for Fluid Dynamics and
Applied Mathematics at the University of Maryland.
"You don't need an official warning to tell you a thunderstorm is
coming. In almost all cases you can see the towering thunder-head
and occasional flashes of lightning at least a half hour in
advance. Usually this is ample time to find shelter or take
precautions."
When a thunderstorm threatens, all lightning experts agree that the
most important single thing you can do is to get inside a home or
a large building, or inside an all-metal vehicle.
"Outdoor recreationists frequently overlook the fact that their
all-metal automobile is an excellent lightning shelter," says Dr.
Landsberg. "Even if struck, the car allows the current to be
discharged harmlessly into the ground."
Inside a home, avoid using the telephone, except for emergencies.
But what about the situations when people outside really don't have
time to reach a safe building or an automobile--as when hunting,
hiking, canoeing, horseback riding or camping in remote areas far
from civilization? Or if they're soldiers on bivouac? Or farmers
at work in their fields, willing to accept some risk but seeking to
minimize it?
Under these circumstances, say the experts:
....Do not stand underneath a natural lightning rod such as a large
tree in an open area.
....Avoid projecting above the surrounding landscape, as you would
do if you were standing on a hilltop, in an open field, on the
beach, or fishing from a small boat.
....Get out of and away from open water. (If you're swimming,
lightning current from a nearby stroke can flow through the water
to you.)
....Get away from tractors and other metal farm equipment.
....Get off of and away from motorcycles, scooters, golf carts and
bicycles. Put down golf clubs.
....Stay away from wire fences, clotheslines, metal pipes, rails
and other metallic paths which could carry lightning to you from
some distance away.
....Avoid standing in small isolated sheds or other small
structures in open areas.
....In a forest, seek shelter in a low area under a thick growth of
small trees. In open areas, go to a low place such as a ravine or
valley.
....If you're hopelessly isolated in a level field or prairie and
you feel your hair stand on end--indicating lightning is about to
strike--drop to your knees and bend forward putting your hands on
your knees. In this position, it lightning strikes near you, the
chances of it using your body as a conductor are minimized. (In
the past, some authorities have recommended lying flat in this
situation, to get as low as possible, but the International
Commission on Atmospheric Electricity of the World Meteorological
Organization disapproves this practice. It recommends kneeling,
instead, so that a low profile is maintained while at the same time
keeping as small an area of the body in contact with the ground as
possible. The Commission also disapproves lying in a ditch or
hollow where surface water or saturated soil is likely to be a
better conductor of electricity than the surrounding area.)
....Groups of persons in exposed situations such as hikers or
mountain climbers should spread out--staying several yards apart--
so that if lightning strikes nearby, the smallest number will be
affected.
Many people apparently "killed" by lightning can be revived if
quick action is taken. When a group is affected, the apparently
dead should be treated first; those unconscious but breathing will
probably recover spontaneously.
First aid should be rendered to those not breathing within four to
six minutes or less to prevent irrevocable damage to the brain,
says the American Red Cross. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation should
be administered once every five seconds to adults and once every
three seconds to infants and small children, until medical help
arrives.
If the victim is not breathing and has no pulse, cardiopulmonary
resuscitation is necessary. This is a combination of mouth-to-
mouth resuscitation and external cardiac compression. It should be
administered by persons with proper training. The technique can be
learned from local Red Cross or Heart Association chapters in one-
day sessions.
Medical attention also should be given to victims who appear only
temporarily stunned or otherwise unhurt, since there may be hidden
effects.
WHEN LIGHTNING KILLED
July, 1974--June, 1975
This list contains 90 incidents or episodes where one or more
persons were killed by lightning in the year that ended June 30,
1975. It was culled from the monthly periodical, "Storm Data,"
published by NOAA's National Climatic Center. The list is not
considered to be a complete tally of the lightning death toll,
because it is known that fatalities listed by the U.S. Public
Health Service's National Center for Health Statistics run
consistently higher than totals from the Climatic Center. Even the
Public Health Service tallies do not tell the whole story, because
they do not include deaths in lightning-caused fires, which are
known to be numerous.
In addition to the 60 injuries listed here, "Storm Data" reported
144 other injuries in lightning strikes where no deaths occurred,
for a total of 204.
Entries for each month are alphabetical by state.
July
l. July 23, Navajo County, Ariz.--A woman died over Snow Low in a
house fire caused by lightning.
2. July 14, near Redfield, Ark.--Lightning struck and killed a
motorcyclist while he was standing in an open field. His two
companions were slightly injured.
3. July 1, Larimer County, Colo.--A girl was killed by lightning
at the Iceberg Lake parking area at 12,000 feet above mean sea
level on Trail Ridge Road.
4. July 5, Connecticut--A line of thunderstorms moved
southeastward across the state. Lightning caused two deaths, one
at Brookfield in Fairfield County and one at Bloomfield in Harford
County.
5. July 14, Connecticut--a 9-year-old girl was killed by lightning
while camping. She was sleeping in a metal-frame tent.
6. July 5, Wilmington, Del.--A mother was killed by lightning
while standing on her porch.
7. July 10, Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Fla.--Two employees of
the Tequesta Water Company were struck by lightning while working
on a water meter at a private residence. One was killed and the
other knocked unconscious.
8. July 28, Avon Park, Fla.--a 6-year old girl was killed by
lightning while outside manually turning a TV-antenna pole for
better reception.
9. July 26, Cleghorn, La.--A 27-year-old man was killed by
lightning while working near a metal tool shed.
10. July 14, Jefferson Davis Parish, La.--A man riding a tractor
on his farm near Woodlawn was killed by lightning.
11. July 25, Brownsville, Minn.--Lightning killed a 17-year-old
youth as he slept in a tent. A companion was injured.
12. July 8, near Wewt Plains, Mo.--One lightning death. No
details.
13. July 5, New Jersey--A line of thunderstorms moved eastward
across the state in the afternoon. One man in Trenton was killed
by lightning.
14. July 12, Philmont Scout Ranch, Colfax County, N. Mex.--
Lightning struck a group of scouts and leaders who had gathered
beneath a nylon dining canopy to avoid heavy rain; killed one,
injured six.
15. July 5, New York City--A thunderstorm passed northeastward
across the south and central sections of the city. Lightning
struck three girls in Central Park, killing one and injuring two.
16. July 14, Owego, N.Y.--One person was killed and two were
injured by lightning during an evening thunderstorm. No further
details.
17. July 28, Fallsburg, N.Y.--A midafternoon thunderstorm killed
one golfer and injured another.
18. July 29, Westchester County, N.Y.--Lightning associated with
a brief afternoon thunderstorm killed one golfer.
19. July 19, Laurinburg, N.C.--a 20-year-old man was killed by
lightning and two small children were injured.
20. July 7, Shields, N.D.--a man was struck and killed by
lightning while working in a hayfield.
21. July 10, central Ohio--One person was killed and another
injured by a lightning strike on a golf course in Morrow County.
22. July 28, Hamilton County, Ohio--A boy was killed by lightning
while walking from field to farmhouse.
23. July 27, Mount Hood Forest, Oreg.--Lightning-caused forest
fires broke out in which a firefighting helicopter was lost with
its crew of two.
24. July 28, eastern Pennsylvania--One death and three injuries
were reported to have resulted from lightning strikes. No further
details.
25. July 10, western Pennsylvania--One man was killed by lightning
while cleaning up mud on a road; another died of a heart attack.
26. July 4, Waitwell, Tenn.--Lightning struck two youths who were
playing in a wooded area; killed one, injured the other.
27. July 4, Memphis, Tenn.--Lightning struck three youths running
across a playground; killed one, injured two.
28. July 25, western Texas--Lightning struck and fatally injured
a woman during a thunderstorm. No further details.
August
29. August 3, Brooklyn, Conn--Lightning struck and killed a youth
when he was running from a tent toward home at 2:40 a.m.
30. August 14, Bethany Beach, Del.--A young girl was killed by
lightning as she stood on the beach.
31. August 5, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.--Lightning struck an
aluminum ladder at a construction project. The man on the ladder
was killed, three nearby workmen were injured.
32. August 14, Lehigh Acres, Fla.--Lightning struck four workers
as they were preparing to leave a road-construction site. Killed
one, injured three.
33. August 25, Tampa, Fla.--A 32-year-old Largo, Fla. woman was
killed and two children were injured when lightning struck into a
crowd watching an air show at McDill Air Force Base. The two
children injured were the woman's 3-year-old son and an 11-year-old
Clearwater girl.
34. August 25, Ocala, Fla.--Lightning struck a lakeside dock just
west of Ocala killing a 17-year-old boy and injuring five other
youths.
35. August 26, De Soto County, Fla.--a 17-year-old boy was killed
by lightning while repairing a fence on a ranch near State Road 31.
36. August 1, Georgia--An 18-year-old youth was killed by
lightning at a lumber camp on the Ocmulgee River.
37. August 11, Illinois--Lightning struck and killed a boy who was
hunting in Jersey County.
38. August 1, Maine--One person was killed by lightning at Fort
Fairfield. Aroostook County. No further details.
39. August 24, Maine--A line of thunderstorms developed across the
southern part of the state. Severe lightning caused two deaths at
Rockland.
40. August 21, Gulfport, Miss.--A woman was killed and her two
nephews were injured by lightning while taking clothes off a
clothesline during a thunderstorm.
41. August 9, New Jersey--One person was killed when struck by
lightning at a rock concert at Atlantic City Race Course.
42. August 24, central New Jersey--A brief lightning storm killed
one person on the beach in Long Island Township.
43. August 28, central New Jersey--Lightning resulted in one
death. No details.
44. August 10, Clayton Lake, N. Mex.--A camper was struck and
killed by lightning at 9 p.m. during a thunderstorm.
45. August 23, Wawarsing, N.Y.--A 15-year-old girl was killed by
lightning and five others were injured while camping during a
thunderstorm.
46. August 23, Brown's Summit, N.C.--a 9-year-old girl was killed
by lightning.
47. August 26, Wake County, N.C.--A high-school boy was killed by
lightning while on his way in from athletic practice.
48. August 28, Sanford, N.C.--A woman in her backyard was hit by
lightning and died in a hospital.
49. August 31, Idabel, Okla.--Lightning struck and killed a 9-
year-old boy while he was playing in his treehouse.
50. August 16, De Pere, Wisc.--Lightning struck and killed a youth
as he was driving a tractor on a family farm three miles west of De
Pere.
51. August 2, 25 miles east of Buffalo, Wyo.--Lightning struck a
party of fishermen, killing one and injuring four others.
September
52. September 6, Tucson, Ariz.--A 17-year-old boy was struck in
the chest by lightning but lived about one week before he died.
53. September 28, Orlando, Fla.--A 20-year-old Naval Training
Center student was killed while jogging.
54. September 29, Lake County, Fla.--Two men were struck by
lightning while working on a car. One was killed and the other
slightly injured.
55. September 28, Belleville Ill.--Lightning killed a man who was
playing football in a park.
56. September 11, North Manchester, Ind.--Lightning struck and
killed a student playing soccer at Manchester College.
57. September 3-4, eastern Pennsylvania--Lightning killed one
person. No details.
October
No Lightning Deaths Reported.
November
58. November 2, southeast Kansas--Lightning struck and killed a
man in a duck blind near Lowell about 10 a.m.
59. November 19, Ashland City, Tenn.--The body of a hunter was
found at the foot of a tree. He was apparently up in the tree when
lightning passed from the trunk of the tree to him. A ski mask he
was wearing showed burn marks.
December
No Lightning Deaths Reported.
January
No Lightning Deaths Reported.
February
60. February 22, Muldrow, Okla.--A young man was killed by
lightning while working on a television antenna. Another man was
injured and taken to a hospital. Lightning apparently struck the
antenna.
March.
61. March 23, Bettendorf, Iowa--At 3 p.m., a 14-year-old boy was
killed while reeling in a kite with a nylon string attached to a
Fiberglass fishing rod. Two companions were knocked to the ground,
but otherwise unhurt.
62. March 13, Laurens, S.C.--at 7:40 a.m., one person was killed
by lightning. No details.
63. March 23, Pickwick Dam, Hardin County, Tenn.--At 1 p.m., a man
was killed by lightning while fishing from a bass boat at Pickwick
Dam.
April
64. April 23, Wapello, Iowa--A 12-year-old boy was struck and
killed by lightning while sitting under a tree, fishing.
65. April 27, Leavenworth, Kans--A man was killed by lightning.
No details.
66. April 23, Moberly, Mo.--A man was killed by lightning. No
details.
May
67. May 24, Cleburne County, Ark.--A 15-year-old boy was struck
and kill by lightning at the Cove Creek Recreation area on Greers
Ferry Lake.
68. May 7, St. Johns County, Fla.--Lightning struck and killed a
68-year-old man at the Guana Dam fishing pier. The victim was
wearing a metal hardhat such as those worn by construction workers.
69. May 16, Wildwood, Fla.--One man was killed by lightning and
one injured in an open field as they were running for shelter.
70. May 3, Monroe County, Ga.--One person was killed by lightning
at High Falls State Park. No other details.
71. May 20, northern Illinois--A Commonwealth Edison construction
worker was electrocuted when lightning struck a crane he was
operating at the Seneca nuclear-powerplant site at about 2:50 p.m.
Two other workers were injured and treated for burns.
72. May 25, Raccoon Lake, Ind.--Lightning struck the motor of a
speedboat and traveled up the control wires, killing the driver.
The 38-year-old man was knocked into the water by the bolt. His
wife and two children, also in the boat, were not injured.
73. May 21, Macomb County, Mich.--One man was killed while working
on an antenna in Shelby Township. Seven persons were injured by
lightning in flooded section of Sterling Heights police station.
A woman was injured in Warren.
74. May 20, Springfield, Mo.--A Springfield city employee was
killed by lightning during a severe thunderstorm.
75. May 23, Scotland County, N.C.--A man was killed by lightning.
No details.
76. May 27, Everman, Tex.--Lightning struck a tree under which
three boys were sitting, killing two and injuring the third.
June
77. June 6, Eudora, Ark.--A 17-year-old boy was struck and killed
by lightning when getting on the back of a pickup truck.
78. June 6, Briggsville, Ark.--An 82-year-old man was struck and
killed by lightning while walking on his farm.
79. June 27, near West Memphis, Ark.--Lightning struck and killed
two farm workers.
80. June 28, Eudora, Ark.--Lightning struck and killed a farmer
who had sought shelter under a tree during a thunderstorm.
81. June 29, near Kingsland, Ark.--Lightning struck and killed a
6-year-old and injured her aunt while they were on a family outing
on the banks of the Sal
ine River.
82. June 3, Pompano Beach, Fla.--A 9-year-old girl was struck
and killed by lightning while walking home from school during a
thunderstorm.
83. June 20, Lakeland, Fla.--A 16-year-old boy was killed
instantly and his 16-year-old companion was injured when
lightning struck a power line adjacent to a tree house in which
the boys were located.
84. June 15, Plymouth, Ind.--Lightning killed a 55-year-old man
as he was taking shelter under a pine tree on a golf course.
85. June 3, Scottsbluff, Neb.--A bolt of lightning killed two
men working in a beet field four miles east of Scottsbluff.
86. June 16, New York City--Two children were killed and seven
injured by a single bolt of lightning when they took refuge from
rain under a tree in Central Park.
87. June 20, Atlantic Beach, N.C.--A man was killed on the beach
by lightning.
88. June 19, near Philadelphia, Pa.--A boy and a woman were
killed by lightning in separate locations.
89. June 5, Franklin, Tenn.--A farmer was struck and killed by
lightning while baling hay during the approach of a thunderstorm.
90. June 15, Carlisle, Tex.--An 11-year-old girl was burned to
death in a fire caused by lightning. The lightning struck a
window air conditioner and the home exploded into a blaze of
fire. Another girl was injured.
LIGHTNING--CHIEF KILLER IN STORMY WEATHER
Lighting Tornado Flood Hurricane
Deaths Deaths Deaths Deaths
1940 340 65 60 51
1941 388 53 47 10
1942 372 384 68 8
1943 432 58 107 16
1944 419 275 33 64
1945 268 210 91 7
1946 231 78 28 0
1947 338 313 55 53
1948 256 140 82 3
1949 249 212 48 4
1950 219 70 93 19
1951 248 34 51 0
1952 212 230 54 3
1953 145 515 40 2
1954 220 36 55 193
1955 181 126 302 218
1956 149 83 42 21
1957 180 191 82 395
1958 104 66 47 2
1959 183 58 25 24
1960 129 47 32 65
1961 149 51 52 46
1962 153 28 19 4
1963 165 31 39 11
1964 129 73 100 49
1965 149 296 119 75
1966 110 98 31 54
1967 88 114 34 18
1968 129 131 31 9
1969 131 66 297 256
1970 122 72 135 11
1971 122 156 74 8
1972 94 27 554 121
1973 124 87 148 5
Total 6,928 4,474 3,075 1,825
Annual
Average 204 132 90 54
*U.S. death totals from lightning are from the National Center
for Health Statistics, Public Health Service; for tornadoes,
floods, and hurricanes, from NOAA's National Climatic Center.
Some overlap occurs in death totals from hurricanes and floods,
because most hurricanes deaths are drowning, and those occurring
in rivers and streams swollen by hurricane rains are also counted
as flood deaths.