Teen killed by lightning in Louisiana

AccuWeather

In light of the 20th lightning fatality in the U.S. this year, lightning safety specialist John Jensenius shares tips on how to stay safe before and during lightning strikes.

Transcript

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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