Lightning Safety Awareness Week

Next week, the week of 23-29 June, is being observed as Lightning Safety Awareness Week. Its theme is “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!”

Summer is the peak season for what is considered one of the nation’s deadliest weather phenomena – lightning. However, lightning strikes year round. In the United States, an average of 54 people are killed each year by lightning. To date, there has been seven deaths in 2013.

In addition, hundreds of people are permanently injured each year. People struck by lightning suffer from a variety of long-term, debilitating symptoms, including (but not limited to) memory loss, attention deficits, sleep disorders, chronic pain, numbness, dizziness, stiffness in joints, irritability, fatigue, weakness, muscle spasms, and depression.

For more information related to lightning safety, please visit:

National Weather Service: Lightning Safety

National Weather Service: Lightning Safety Resources

Insurance Information Institute: YouTube: Beyond Thunder Dumb: When Lightning Strikes...