Lightning Safety Week 2025: Some Safety Tips and Recent News
When thunder roars... GO INDOORS (which does not mean a tiki tent)
Lightning Safety Week is timed around when summer starts… and lightning storms start kicking up.
So it’s hardly surprising we get the following stories (not all fatal):
24 Jun 2025, NYT: Man Struck by Lightning and Killed on His Honeymoon in Florida
Just before Jake Rosencranz, 29, was struck while standing in ankle-deep water in New Smyrna Beach, two people were struck at a golf course nearby.
A Colorado man who was on his honeymoon in Central Florida was killed after being struck by lightning at New Smyrna Beach on Friday in what may have been the state’s first lightning fatality this year, the authorities said.
The man, Jake Rosencranz, 29, of Denver, was struck shortly before 12:30 p.m. as he stood in ankle-deep water, according to officials from the Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue and the Volusia County Medical Examiner Office. New Smyrna is on the Atlantic coastline, just south of Daytona Beach, Fla.
….
Lightning, though, is not unusual in Florida, which has been described as the lightning capital of the country by the Weather Service. The Florida Department of Health said that the state averages about 1.2 million lightning strikes each year.
Florida’s propensity for lightning strikes stems from the state’s topography as a peninsula and its mix of heat, humidity and sea breezes on both its Gulf and Atlantic coasts, which produce roaring thunderstorms.
25 Jun 2025, ABC News: 20 people injured in lightning strike while swimming at South Carolina beach
Twenty people were injured by a reported lightning strike while swimming at a beach in South Carolina, officials said.
The incident occurred at approximately 5 p.m. on Tuesday, when multiple agencies responded to a "reported electrocution" due to lightning at Dominion Beach Park near the Lake Murray Dam in Lexington County, South Carolina, officials said in a press release.
When first responders arrived on the scene, 20 patients -- eight adults and 12 juveniles -- had been injured by the strike, officials said.
24 Jun 2025, Pensacola News Journal: Navarre Beach diner struck by lightning as strong storms roll through NW Florida
A Navarre Beach diner is recovering after being hit by a lightning strike June 23 as a line of thunderstorms rolled in to Escambia and Santa Rosa counties for the third week in a row.
Navarre Beach Fire Rescue responded to nearly half a dozen calls for service related to the strong storms Monday evening, and among those one person was struck by lightning while at a local restaurant.
The individual only sustained minor injuries, according to Navarre Beach Fire Rescue.
….
The lightning strike that injured the Navarre diner came just three days after a Colorado man was struck by lightning and killed while standing in ankle-deep water in New Smyrna Beach in Florida. A bystander and lifeguards immediately started life-saving measures, but the victim was unresponsive when taken from the scene to a hospital, authorities said.
In my prior Lightning Safety Week 2025 post, I mentioned the teen who had gotten struck by lightning in Central Park (he survived).
And here are three more stories (thanks to John Jensenius of the National Lightning Safety Council for sending these links):
22 Jun 2025, WINK: Lightning hits tiki hut on Marco Island, injuring 4 people
20 Jun 2025, ClickOrlando: Lightning indirectly strikes golfers in New Smyrna Beach, city says
24 Jun 2025, myarklamiss: ‘It was sickening to watch’: 1 hospitalized after group struck by lightning on Florida beach
Most of these lightning strikes were in Florida.
While not all of these people were hospitalized, some of them may have lasting effects even if they didn’t die.
So far, there are 4 recorded lightning strike deaths for the U.S. for 2025.
Lightning Safety Tips
Alas, in pretty much all of these cases, these people were not following best advice for lightning safety, though they may not have realized it.
In an email from John Jensenius of the National Lightning Safety Council:
Unfortunately, I've also been seeing stories about lightning incidents involving injuries where people were not following lightning safety recommendations. In addition to the death reported yesterday (Friday storm), below is a list of the currently known recent incidents involving injuries . Most (if not all) of these incidents likely occurred with a storm less than 10 miles away.
It's important to remind people that they need to head to a safe place at the FIRST SIGNS of a developing or approaching storm. People often wait far too long to get to a safe place and that puts them in a dangerous and potentially deadly situation.
When I interviewed Jensenius a few years ago, I didn’t realize that a storm as far away as 10 miles could be dangerous, and that most people were struck as storms approached….
…but it makes sense, given most people don’t hang around in the middle of storms.
Advice from the National Lightning Safety Council:
OUTSIDE SAFETY
NO place outside is safe when thunderstorms are in the area.
Schedule outdoor activities to avoid the lightning risk.
Check the latest forecast and cancel or postpone activities if thunderstorms are predicted.
Monitor weather conditions via radar or a lightning app.
Keep a watchful eye on the sky. Listen for thunder.
Lightning can strike outward 10 miles from a storm. If you hear any thunder, even a distant rumble, you are likely within striking distance of the storm.
When Thunder ROARS, Go Indoors!
Head quickly to a safe place at the first signs of a developing or approaching thunderstorm. (A safe place is a fully enclosed, substantial building with wiring and plumbing, or fully inside a hardtop metal vehicle.)
Remain inside the safe place for at least 30 minutes after the last thunder before returning outside.
I added some emphasis from the original tips I was given.
But I want to note that “indoors” does not mean a tiki hut or cabana. It means something more substantial than that. You need to think about what will happen if lightning strikes the structure.
For substantial building, the charge will often get directed into the ground. For a tent…
Thanks, AI!
A few other items:
LIGHTNING SAFETY SLOGANS
NO Place Outside Is Safe When A Thunderstorm Is In The Area!
When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!
Half An Hour Since Thunder Roars, Now It’s Safe To Go Outdoors!
AND FOR GOODNESS SAKE DON’T GO UNDER A TREE WHEN THERE’S A THUNDERSTORM OUTSIDE
I know sometimes people get caught out, but in general, these strikes and fatalities are during leisure activities… so you have a choice.
So choose to go inside, dammit, when you hear the thunder. It’s not worth it.
Last year my wife and I rode our bikes across the US. There are huge expanses where no shelter is available. Luckily, there were no air mass thunderstorms around us during our trip, but these guidelines don’t have anything to say about those caught outside, beyond shelter.
I think the guidelines would say - tough luck, you're screwed!