Updated U.S. Lightning Strike Deaths Total for 2023: 14

The numbers generally only go up -- and why we may not hear about a death for months

Yesterday, I got an email from John Jensenius of the National Lightning Safety Council with a U.S. lightning strike death count update for 2023. My last post had the count at 13.

The count is now 14.

This article spurred the notice:

Local family wants others to learn from their lightning tragedy

This week is Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Missouri and Illinois. 

Tornadoes, hail and high winds get the headlines most of the time, but lightning is unquestionably one of the most underrated weather hazards out there. It can be beautiful; it can be mesmerizing! However, every single bolt of lightning from even the smallest, weakest of storms makes that storm a potential killer—one that far too many people ignore.

Tara McNeal of Maryland Heights fought back tears as she shared memories of her nephew, Raymond, with FOX 2 earlier this week. Raymond was struck and killed by lightning while out doing something he loved.

“He loved hunting, fishing, he loved football. He loved golf,” McNeal said.

Tragedy struck while he was out playing a round of golf near Atlanta last September. 

”They had just finished up the first hole and kind of heard thunder. His friend said he pulled out his radar and it looked like it was a few towns over… and then it started pouring and hailing…they took off running,” McNeal said. “When they got to the clubhouse, they started looking around and yelling for him. They ran back and they found him down the hill.”

The lightning had struck Raymond. A bolt so strong it tore the clothes from his body. 

The article is dated March 6, 2024. Raymond McNeal died September 15, 2023 (and the incident actually occurred 3 days before…. uh. People don’t necessarily die instantly when struck by lightning.)

The piece is from a local news station in Missouri, but the lightning strike occurred in Georgia.

Geography of lightning strikes

Using the map from the National Lightning Safety Council, the number of lightning strike deaths differs greatly across the country, which is hardly surprising:

The numbers on the states are the number of fatalities from 2013-2022 (I will be showing the 2023 map alone in a moment).

One needs a combination of two things: the weather that produces lightning (so fair weather California is let off the hook, I suppose), and people to strike. Lower-population states or states that don’t have a lot of people outside for whatever reasons are going to be less likely.

Florida is a big draw for people who don’t even live there and have frequent thunderstorms in the summer. It is hardly surprising it has the highest number of lightning strike deaths. You can check out the record of the Florida deaths for yourself, and see the variety of activities people were up to. It’s an interesting mix of the mundane (weed-whacking) to doing their jobs (construction) to leisure (jet ski!)

2023 map of lightning strike deaths

As compiled by John Jensenius, here is the increment that would be implemented to the map above:

With the 2023 data, some of the states would no longer have 0 deaths since 2013: Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Virginia would go from 2 to 3.

Kentucky goes from 4 to 5.

But the other states are pretty numerous in their stats, already in the top 10 states in count of lightning strike deaths… and staying there.

Advice as Lightning Weather Comes Back

It was a very warm day here in New York, and I was out doing spreadsheets with the ducks in our yard:

People will be starting up their golf games again, fishing, weed whacking, working on the roof, and all those other activities people often do when they get struck by lightning (not meaning to, of course.)

In the article on Raymond McNeal, his brother says:

Raymond’s brother, Cole, lives with his aunt here in St. Louis. He wants the story of his big brother to serve as a warning to everyone about the threat that typical thunderstorms pose.

”Not a lot of people do take it seriously because they never think it will happen to them,” Cole said.

No, not a lot of people die this way (thank goodness), but it is a horrible way to go. As I mentioned, there was three days between the strike and his ultimate death.

Raymond’s mom said:

Tara and Cole approached FOX 2 about doing this story out of concern for the approaching outdoor sports seasons.

“I’m guilty of being one of those parents… sitting in the stands and I don’t want to go to my car,” McNeal said. “It’s not worth it. It’s not. Your life is not worth finishing that game. Don’t take that chance.”

John Jensenius reached out to me last year when I had done a podcast episode on lightning strike deaths, which spurred me to do a second post:

In which I conveyed some of the advice Jensenius gave.

Something I remembered - and the story above points out - the strikes can occur up to 10 miles away from the rain/hail storms themselves.

So when the golfing group looked at the radar for where it was raining, there should have been a zone of danger they should have considered extending far beyond that.

Lightning Safety Toolkits and Checklists

One of the difficulties with these activities is the decision point to seek shelter, and Raymond’s mother, Tara’s comment, points that out. So that’s why they pointed to the lightning safety toolkits at the National Weather Service:

As you can see, I’ve been testing these out. They have kits for:

• Outdoor facilities

• Golf facilities

• Wilderness areas

• Communities

• Lifeguard and Beach Patrols

• Boating and Sailing

In light of what Tara MacNeal said, this visual from the Lightning Safety Council has a good checklist:

So it’s good to be aware not to wait until the storm is right over your head to act. It’s easier to know how to act if you think and prepare ahead of time.

To quote the National Lightning Safety Council:

NO PLACE OUTSIDE IS SAFE
when thunderstorms are in the area.

WHEN THUNDER ROARS, GO INDOORS!