The National Weather Service reassuringly reports that there are roughly 40 million lightning bolts touching down every year across America and the odds of being struck are one in a million.
Not bad. Unless you're the one percenter.
The most recent report of lightning strikes killing someone was in Washington DC earlier this month. Four people were standing underneath a tree in Lafayette Park on August 4th when they were struck by six bolts within half a second!
Three people died and the survivor, Amber Escudero-Kontostathis, suffers with nerve damage from her waist down leaving her with no feeling in her legs.
Amber's case was unique because doctors told her they had never seen a patient survive what she endured.
Like the old saying goes, "If it's not your time to go, you'll know."
Last year two states - Texas and Florida - had the highest count of lightning strikes. You might want to avoid them to improve your chances of never being struck by a bolt of lightning.
If you want to learn more about lightning strikes, go here.
Quotes About Lightning
** "When lightning strikes at sea, why don't all the fish die?" - Anthony Doerr
** "Every dark cloud has a silver lining, but lightning kills hundreds of people on the planet each year who try to find out." - E.L. Kersten
** "Lightning hides the color of night." - Munia Khan
Final Thoughts
When my wife and three boys and I lived in 29 Palms, California we all enjoyed watching the lightning shows that were spectacular at times. They were common in the high desert and most people had the presence of mind not to be running around during one of those shows.
Like the first human who saw lightning, we are still thrilled and terrified by the display of raw energy and power from the skies.
As it stands, thanks for stopping by, and I'll be looking for you tomorrow.
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