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Questions| Home > NWS Declares Lightning Awareness Week NWS
Declares Lightning Awareness Week June 25, 2012 The National
Weather Service has declared the week of June 24th through 30th,
Lightning Safety Awareness Week. This safety information is
courtesy of the National Weather Service, Gray, Maine. Lightning
and Lightning Safety: An Introduction: In the United States,
there are an estimated 25 million cloud‑to‑ground lightning
flashes each year. While lightning can be fascinating to watch,
it is also extremely dangerous. Each one of those 25 million
flashes is a potential killer. Based on data for the last 30
years (1981 to 2011), lightning has killed more than 1600 people
in the United States, an average of 54 people per year based on
documented cases. This is slightly less than the average of 73
deaths per year caused by tornadoes and more than the average of
39 from hurricanes.