Many people choose to live along Alabama's coast to be outdoors and enjoy the beaches or golf. But those areas can be prone for lightning strikes. There are an estimated 23 million cloud-to-ground lightning flashes each year in the United States.

During summer months the Alabama coast experiences rapidly formed thunderstorms. Warm temperatures allow the atmosphere to hold more humidity, and that humidity is a prerequisite for building clouds - creating conditions which may produce lightning.

The National Lightning Safety Council put Alabama in the top 10 ranking for the most lightning strike fatalities from 2016 to 2025.

Alabama ranked number three with 11 recorded deaths since 2016. The majority of lightning strike deaths occurred in July.

Washington, D.C., was ranked number one and Florida number two.

There is no specific area in Alabama where lightning-strike deaths are more common, although many occur while people are working or enjoying outdoor leisure activities.

In June of 2024, Baldwin County experienced an outbreak of strikes and one car was hit directly on the Expressway, as reported by WKRG.

The National Weather Service observes Lightning Safety Awareness Week every June. The NWS warns that lightning kills or injures hundreds of people in the U.S. every year and educates the public on lightning safety.

DID YOU KNOW:

•  A lightning strike travels at the speed of 270,000 miles/hour.
• When lightning strikes a beach, it fuses the grains of sand to create a small glass-like tube called fulgurite.
• Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is struck by the most lightning in the world.
• There are approximately 1,400,000,000 lightning strikes per year across the globe.