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Florida leads nation in lightning strike deaths

5 killed in Sunshine State so far this year

Lightning strikes have killed five people in Florida so far this year -- more than double the death toll of any other state.

The National Weather Service lists a total of 12 lightning strike deaths nationwide in 2017, all of which occurred between May 7 and early August.

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The first fatal strike in Florida came May 17, when 46-year-old Guadalupe Salinas was struck while working on a construction site. The next strike was also at a construction site: This time, Edwin Ramos Jarquin Armas, 34, was struck in Pembroke Pines on June 27.

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Days later, on June 29, a woman nine months pregnant was struck while walking in her Fort Myers neighborhood. Meghan Davidson, 26, gave birth after the incident, but the baby died two weeks later on July 13.

Before infant Owen Davidson died, lightning claimed another victim in 35-year-old Jeremy Harper, who was camping in Baker when lightning fatally struck him on July 10.

The final victim was Lamar Rayfield, 35, who was struck while walking on the beach at  SPRA Park in Satellite Beach on July 28. 

Those five fatalities put Florida far above the rest of the country in terms of lightning strike deaths.

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NWS lightning safety specialist John Jensenius said there are a few reasons Florida consistently sees the most lightning fatalities.

"It is the combination of lightning and outdoor activities that leads to lightning deaths.  In the case of Florida, there are more lightning strikes per square mile (about 21/year) than any other state and the state has many outdoor recreational activities that put people at risk.  In addition, for those who live in Florida or work outdoors, the risks associated with the typical afternoon thunderstorm may be difficult to avoid," Jensenius said.

Alabama and North Carolina each had two deaths, while Texas, Ohio and Colorado each had one. The rest of the country has not had any lightning strike deaths so far this year.

Florida also outpaced the rest of the country in 2016 when it saw 10 of the country's 39 deaths.

Still, the NWS says only about 10 percent of people who are struck by lightning are killed, and the odds of being struck any given year is 1 in 1,083,000.


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