00:00Tragically, a 17-year-old boy in Louisiana was struck and killed by lightning while hunting
00:05last weekend, the 20th lightning fatality in the U.S. this year.
00:09Joining us right now is John Jensenius, lightning safety specialist with the National Lightning
00:15Safety Council.
00:16You know, it's always great to have you on, sir, as you're an expert in this, but it's
00:22tough that we have to talk about this.
00:24Can you tell us about this recent tragedy in Louisiana?
00:30Well, yes, it's unfortunate because, as you mentioned, it was a 17-year-old boy.
00:35He was out hunting.
00:37He was up in an elevated deer stand, and unfortunately, he was in the wrong spot at the wrong time,
00:46lightning strike, and unfortunately, he was killed.
00:50With 20 lightning deaths nationwide, how does that compare to recent years?
00:55Well, when we look at the 10-year average, the 10-year average is about 20 lightning deaths,
01:01so that puts us right on track.
01:03But if we look at the last five years, the last five years have actually, we've seen an
01:08average of about 15.
01:10So this year has really been an uptick in the lightning deaths that we've seen in the last
01:1510 years, or last five years.
01:17Five of this year's lightning deaths have occurred while hunting.
01:23Are there reasons why we're seeing several incidents involving hunters lately?
01:29It's my understanding that this is a recent trend.
01:33Yeah, this is very unusual this year to see five deaths related to hunting.
01:39I've kept statistics since 2006, and between 2006 and 2024, we've only seen a total of three
01:49hunting-related deaths due to lightning.
01:52This year, we've had five in just the last two months.
01:56So very highly unusual.
01:57But the one thing that you do have to remember is it doesn't matter what time of the season
02:02it is, what time you're doing.
02:04If you're outside and you can hear thunder or if a thunderstorm is in the area, it is dangerous
02:10and you need to get inside.
02:12It touches on our next question here.
02:14Now that it's late October, are lightning strikes more rare this time of year?
02:19Well, they are.
02:20And we look at the peak season being July.
02:23And as we head into the fall months, the amount of lightning across the United States diminishes.
02:29But that still doesn't make it any less deadly than it is at the other times of the year.
02:36What are the most important safety tips people should take to stay away from lightning?
02:42Well, the most important thing is to plan ahead.
02:46Listen to the forecast.
02:48If thunderstorms are predicted, consider canceling or postponing an activity.
02:52If you do go out, keep an eye on the sky.
02:55If you hear thunder, head to a safe place immediately.
02:58And once you're in that safe place, remain there for at least 30 minutes after the last thunder.
03:04John Desenius, Lightning Safety Specialist with the National Lightning Safety Council.
03:08Thanks so much for joining us again here on AccuWeather Early.
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