A new study revealed that Alabama has the highest lightning death rate in the nation.
Injury law firm Simmrin Law Group gathered data from all 50 states to compare fatality rates.
Alabama had an average of 3.01 deaths per million residents between 2015 and 2024. The rate is over five times higher than the national average of 0.56.
The news came just days after three lightning strikes made headlines Sunday. A Russellville teen was injured when she was struck by lightning while on her cell phone, which was plugged into a charger. Then, a boat on Logan Martin Lake was struck, causing a fire and sending one person to the hospital. On Lake Martin, the dining room at Camp ASCCA for the physically and mentally disabled was struck by lightning. No one was injured, but the strike caused fire and water damage. Camp was canceled for the rest of the week.
Florida ranked number two with a lightning death rate of 2.31. However, Florida had the highest total number of lightning fatalities – 50 over a 10-year period.
Alabama reported 15 lightning deaths over the 10-year period.
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