Sept. 22, 2022 — Sonia Chavez, a midrise Dallas resident, was on her balcony when something unthinkable occurred: While filming a thunderstorm using her smartphone, lightning struck her with a flash of blinding heat and light that knocked her off of her feet.
Chavez captured the thunderbolt on film and it caused her to be injured EyesShe was left with mobility, cognitive, and speech issues.
She survived, however.
“When it hit, it sounded like a bomb going off,” Chavez, 38. “I felt this intense electric force that hit me hard, like a gut punch or Whiplash. It was the most horrible pain you could imagine. It was the worst pain I could imagine. I saw electricity in my hands, as well as different colors, including blue, red, and white. There was also ringing in my ears.
“I don’t remember much after that, but the next thing I knew I was in the closet of my apartment, pinching and scratching myself to see if I was dead or alive.”
Although it was traumatic, Chavez is one lucky person. Despite the fact that she is still healing from injuries sustained 18 months ago in the strike, Chavez has lived to tell her tale.
Many others struck by lightning don’t. The U.S. is seeing an increase of lightning deaths, possibly due to a rise in severe storms that are linked to global warming.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the U.S. has already experienced 17 lightning-related deaths this year. That’s more than the 11 that occurred by this time last year and as many as were seen in all of 2020.
“I do feel like I’ve been lucky,” says Chavez, who is receiving physical and speech therapy, as well as ongoing treatments to address her vision lossThe strike. “I’ve had teams of people helping me, including my husband, who found me in the closet a half-hour after it happened [and] got me to the hospital.”
Aaron TreadwayA lightning specialist at the National Weather Service, Chavez explains that there are many lightning-strike survivors, like you might think. It’s true: Nine out of 10 people who are struck by lightning survive.
“On average around 300 people are struck by lightning each year, with roughly 10 percent of those being fatal injuries,” says Treadway. “For those who are struck and do not die, many have serious injuries.”
Although lightning fatalities have been on the rise in recent years, they still remain well below the level of 20 years ago. National Weather Service data show that between 1970 and 2000 the average annual lightning death count was more than 70.
“The reduction in fatalities [since 2000] is due to the success of the lightning safety campaign that many people and organizations have contributed to,” Treadway says. “These include NWS offices across the country and our many partners in the broadcast and print media, outdoor and sports organizations, emergency management officials, and other safety organizations.
“Sayings like ‘When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors’ or ‘See a Flash, Dash Inside’ for our deaf and hard-of-hearing community are easy to remember and apply, keeping people safe.”
Lightning Strikes: By The Numbers
The National Weather Service keeps a detailed record of the weather conditions. Website These facts are from lightning strikes This gives a fascinating overview of what happens during thunderstorms and how it affects people.
It provides key insight into the activities that people were engaging in during fatal strikes and offers clues as to how to avoid dangerous behaviors during storms.
One example is the 17 lightning deaths that have occurred so far in this year.
- Five people were killed on camping trips or in visits to public parks.
- Four people were drowned while participating in water sports, such as boating, jet ski, and swimming.
- While they were fixing windows and doing yard work around the house, four were struck.
- Four people died while walking dogs, flying remote-control planes in fields, fixing trucks on highways, or during Army training exercises.
The National Weather Service has also created an incredible online version. Database of lightning survivorsYou will find detailed interviews, stories, and information about the health consequences they suffered.
These personal stories aside, the National Weather Service also published a Information overload These enormous sparks of electricity in the atmosphere can often strike the ground.
The National Weather Service and other federal agencies provide these data:
- Lightning flashes typically have a range of about 300 million volts. A household current is 120 V.
- Lightning can heat the air it passes through 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s five times hotter than the surface of the sun.
- Lightning strikes someplace in the U.S. 25 Million timesEach year, on average.
- Florida is the nation’s lightning capital, with the highest average number of Cloud-to–ground strikesThis is the ranking of flashes/square mile. Sunshine State also has the highest death rate of any state, due to lightning frequency and because most people live outdoors during peak lightning season (June-August).
- Florida is home to 1.2 million strikes per year. It covers 20 square miles. Next on the list: Louisiana (875.136; 18.9 miles); Mississippi (768.126 16,1 miles); Oklahoma (1.13 million-plus; 15.8 miles); Arkansas (837.978 15.7 miles).
- The United States had the second highest number of lightning strikes worldwide in 2021. Brazil was the first.
- According to The Official Lightning Strikes Database, certain occupations have a greater risk of lightning strikes. U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
National Weather Service officials also have a surprising list containing lightning statistics Myths and facts. They are:
- Crouching down or lying flat on the ground in a thunderstorm won’t reduce your risk of being struck. You could still be exposed to ground current from bolts hitting the earth close by. It’s better to run to a building or vehicle for shelter.
- Lightning can strike twice at once, which is often the case. The Empire State Building gets struck 23 times a year on average.
- Even if it’s not raining outside you can still be struck by a “bolt from the blue” — literally — because lightning can strike 10 to 15 miles from the center of a storm.
- Metal watches, jewelry, as well as personal electronic devices like cellphones and other portable devices. Musik players do NOT attract lightning.
- Your mother was right: Don’t stand under a tree during a storm. Lightning deaths are most often caused by lightning strikes that occur under trees.
What can you do to stop the rise in fatalities?
What’s behind the recent increase in fatal lightning strikes? Treadway believes global climate change may be a contributing factor. But he notes scientists aren’t entirely certain, in part because they have not been tracking the weather phenomenon for very long.
“While a warming climate will produce more ingredients that are conducive to the development of thunderstorms, quantitatively, the period of record of ground-based lightning detection is fairly short,” he explains. “In order to say that there is a substantial increase in lightning coverage, scientists need to have a longer period of data to make those types of conclusions.”
Research has shown that awareness and education about lightning risks can reduce lightning fatalities.
“Lightning doesn’t follow rules; it strikes where it wants to,” he says. “It is up to the public to take those safety precautions and reduce their risk of getting struck overall.”
The National Weather Service recommends that you keep the following in mind Safety tipsThese are some tips and information to help you reduce your exposure during an electrical storm.
- Thunder can be heard if lightning strikes you. You should seek shelter in a vehicle or building with windows rolled up.
- Do not go outside until you hear thunderclaps. Wait for 30 minutes.
- Keep away from landline phones and computers that may put you in direct contact during a storm.
- Avoid plumbing.
- Stay away from windows and doors, and don’t venture onto porches or balconies.
- Don’t lie on or lean against concrete walls.
- Avoid elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges, and peaks if you’re caught outdoors and can’t seek shelter.
- Don’t lie flat on the ground, and keep away from trees or objects that can conduct electricity (like metal or wire fences, power lines, and windmills).
- Don’t swim or go near ponds, lakes, or other bodies of Water.
Treadway also suggests that you consult the weather forecasts prior to engaging in outdoor summer activities, and then adjust your plans accordingly.
“About two thirds of the victims were enjoying outdoor leisure activities before being struck, with Water-related activities topping the list,” he notes. “Of the water-related activities, fishing ranked highest, with boating and beach activities also contributing significantly to the water-related deaths.
“Camping, ranching/farming, and riding an exposed vehicle (bike/motorcycle) also ranked highly in activities people were doing when fatally struck. Soccer ranked first, followed by running and golf. … Interestingly, about 80% of lightning fatalities are men.”
Chavez reflects back on her experiences and says that she knew she was taking a chance standing on her balcony filming the lightning storm the day it struck. She acknowledges that she didn’t believe she was at risk because it was not raining outside, which she now knows is a dangerous falsehood.
She is still recovering.
“I’m a work in progress,” she says, noting that she struggles with vision problems and mobility. She talks slowly, deliberately, and articulately about her experiences.
Chavez insists that she is slowly recovering her skills each day. Chavez recently resumed her job as a project manager, and she even began jogging again after giving up on it during the strike.
There is one surprising development she attributes to the lightning strike, she says: The experience gave her a new outlook on life and that her mind is calmer, with less “brain chatter” than before.
“Through this journey, I actually feel very blessed,” she says. “Having had a near-death experience completely changes your outlook on life. Even though it caused so much havoc in my mind and body, I found that it helped my soul.
“The brain chatter I used to experience is gone because I can only concentrate on the current moment. That is to me, so peaceful. You just hit this different space, and a few other survivors will tell you that they have felt similar things.”
Chavez also says she feels compelled to share her story, believing it may help others avoid what happened to her as well as those who’ve survived lightning strikes.
“There needs to definitely be more education around what happens to people who have been impacted by a lightning incident [and] who have experienced electrical shock in general,” she says. “A lot of us experience the same things, they do rattle our brains and nervous systems, and it’s not as rare as you think.
“I want to help as much as possible to spread awareness in hopes that it helps someone else.”
