Summer Re-Runs: Lightning Strike Deaths Safety Tips and Trends

Plus -- New Story of a Hartford Lightning Strike Death!

This one isn’t totally a summer re-run. Last week, when I went to Hartford for work, I visited the Ancient Burying Ground and came across a surprise:

taken 28 Aug 2025 at the Hartford Ancient Burying Ground, grave of Capt. Israel Seymour

I know this is tough to read, and the Ancient Burying Ground has its own database of an inventory, and this is what they have for the inscription: [which I have fixed a little]

Here Lies Inter'd, the

Remains of Capt. Israel

Seymour who was killed

by Lightning Augst 14th

1784 in ye 49th year

of his Age

With awful rev’rence GOD adore,

Whose holy Hand with Sovreign (pow'r,

Did in an Instant stop his Breath,

And clos'd his Eyes in Sleep of Death

Here is the story of his death:

Last Saturday, about 4 P. M. Capt. Israel Seymour, of this city, was instantly killed by lightning. The lightning first struck the chimney, then dividing, one branch descended by the side of the chimney, forcing its way thro' the garret stairs into a closet in the chamber, the door of which it burst open & shattered, where it was probably attracted by two muskets, that stood by the door. From this it proceeded to the kitchen and penetrated the hearth. The other branch divided and was conducted down the roof by two rafters, which it shattered, below these, it seems to have been united & conducted by a stud, directly over the front door where Capt. Seymour was standing. The quantity of electricity that passed through his body was very great, as is evident from several marks of violence, especially from his shoes, both of which, tho' new, were burst open. Several persons who were in the room were affected by the shock, particularly Mr. Alderman Bull, & Mr. Root who received a slight injury. In the death of Capt. Seymour, the public have lost a valuable citizen, his acquaintances a benevolent friend, his wife a kind husband, and his mother an only son. On Sunday a Sermon suitllble to the occasion was preached by the Rev. Mr. Boardman, before the two congregations in this city, & the funeral of the deceased attended with due solemnity, Tues. Aug. 17, 1784. [Mr. Boardman's sermon was published the next month.]

Captain Seymour was standing inside his house, not outside, where we currently see most lightning deaths.

Our homes are better-insulated (and lightning has so many other things it would prefer to strike). The amount of detail in the above story is interesting to me (I obviously bolded the bit about the new shoes busted open by the lightning blast.)

Somebody went to the trouble to trace the path of the electrical path through the chimney, stairs, closet, door, muskets, into the hearth… and the other path that led to Captain Seymour.

To be sure, the homes of 1784 were simpler (were they?) than what we have now, and there was quite a bit of destruction, but somebody went to the trouble to delineate the full path of the lightning. That is interesting.

Lightning Safety: When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!

Here’s the re-run part!

Lightning Safety Week runs annually in June, as lightning storms tend to peak in the summer. Summer is not quite over yet.

The full page: Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Lightning

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.

• 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.

Many of the people who have died from lightning strikes are in open areas — a golf course or out on a lake. Unfortunately, not close to a shelter.

The point is to pay attention to the weather.

I think some of the lightning strike death prevention was due to improvements in thunderstorm prediction.

Alas, many of us can become numb to notifications.

Ho hum, a thunderstorm.

Except, there can be repercussions. While deaths are reduced, there can be serious long-term effects on survivors. As noted on this page at Medscape on lightning injuries, the long-term problems are neurological, not burns.

As someone with chronic neurological pain, I’m telling you this is serious trouble.

Geography of U.S. Lightning Strike Deaths

I’m on the mailing list for the National Lightning Safety Council, and here are their resources for this week.

Some of the useful graphics from the site:

And indeed, the lightning strike map is related to the fatality map:

It’s not just a matter of where it’s pleasant to go outdoors.

People like to go outside in both Florida and California, but there are fewer lightning strikes in California than in Florida. It’s a difference in weather phenomena in both areas.

That said, some states have relatively high death counts, even with less lightning strikes, as it’s a place with more people.

Long-Term Trend

I’ve been using multiple data sources on this one, as I can easily get CDC data back to 1968, and I got National Weather Service info going back to 1940. You can see the stark differences.

The main point of the long-term trend is the ever-decreasing count, though the population has been increasing.

To be sure, perhaps more people just sit on their butts indoors (as I’m doing right now).

Even so, people do like to go out on the water… where it can be dangerous when there’s lightning.

Some people have died this year or been hit with potential bad health consequences because they were caught outdoors with little time to get indoors.

But in other cases, people may have known about the bad weather and risked it anyway, discounting the danger. Just as some people think the risk of not wearing helmets on motorcycles is just fine….

(…or riding on a motorcycle at all….)

Stay safe out there!

UPDATE: The current count of lightning strike deaths for the U.S. in 2025 is 13. Since my last lightning strike post on 16 July 2025, the following have been reported:

27 Jul 2025: Victim identified in deadly Lake Texoma lightning strike - Lake Texoma, Oklahoma on 26 July 2025, 2 were struck and 1 died. A 32-year-old woman died.

17 Jul 2025: 1 dead, several hurt after lightning strike at archery range in Jackson Township, New Jersey. 61-year-old man died, and 6 other people went to the hospital, including 4 children. It wasn’t raining at the time.

Related Posts

• 16 Jul 2025, Lightning Strike Death Update: Now 11 U.S. Deaths for 2025

• 27 Jun 2025, Lightning Safety Week 2025: Some Safety Tips and Recent News

• 23 Jun 2025, Lightning Safety Week 2025: When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!

• 25 Jan 2024, U.S. Lightning Strike Deaths Total for 2023: 13

• 17 Jun 2023, Podcast: Lightning Strike Deaths

• 6 Aug 2023, Lightning Strikes Twice: Follow-up on Lightning Deaths

• 28 Jun 2024, International Lightning Safety Day: 2024 Lightning Death Toll Already at 3

• 8 Mar 2024, Updated U.S. Lightning Strike Deaths Total for 2023: 14

• 24 Jun 2024, 2024 National Lightning Safety Week