From similarity and differences of morphological, biochemical, cellular characteristics, biologist have constructed 'phylogenetic (evolutionary) trees' (who is most closely related to who, analogous to a family tree)
In the United States, lightning routinely kills more people each year than tornadoes or hurricanes. Tornadoes, hail, and wind gusts get the most attention, but only lightning can strike outside the storm itself. Lightning is the first thunderstorm hazard to arrive and the last to leave.
The agency estimates that the odds of someone in the U.S. being struck by lightning in a given year are one in 500,000. Last year, 29 people were killed by lightning in the U.S., including two men who died in Texas. In 2009, Florida had the most fatalities of the 34 who were killed by lightning â five â followed by Texas and North Carolina, which each saw three fatalities.