2009 U.S. Lightning Fatalities Counter

(Updated September 28th)

This is now the deadliest year for lightning since 2007, after six additional lightning fatalities in the last week of August and during the month of September.

A total of 33 lightning fatalities have been recorded across the United States, including 1 death in Puerto Rico.

Twenty states have recorded at least 1 fatality from lightning.

(Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Colorado, California, North Carolina, New Jersey, Alabama, New York, Virginia, New Mexico, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Montana, and Minnesota.)

The Jackson Weather Examiner has provided a graphic below, indicating the number of deaths in each state.

(NOTE: THE JACKSON WEATHER EXAMINER HAS INCLUDED THE DEATH OF THE UNBORN CHILD OF A WOMAN WHO DIED FROM HER INJURIES FROM LIGHTNING ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 30TH IN TEXAS,  <4 TOTAL DEATHS FROM LIGHTNING IN TEXAS>

In 2008, only 28 fatalities from lightning were recorded, which is the lowest number of fatalities ever recorded in a year from lightning.

Of course 2008 was a  below normal year and 2009, despite the increase in lightning fatalities, will likely end the year below normal as well.

According to the National Weather Service, the United States  averages 58 deaths from lightning per year.

Over the last several years, lightning fatalities have remained below normal, partly due to increased lightning safety and awareness.

(Note: Monthly normals are based on the 30 year average of 58 deaths per year (1979-2008) multiplied by the average monthly percentage of annual deaths from 1959-1994 as documented in NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS SR-193 with December 1961 plane crash fatalities.)