Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania officials are using the winter months to strengthen lightning safety awareness after 21 people across the United States were killed by lightning in 2025, the highest annual total since 2019.
According to the National Weather Service and the National Lightning Safety Council, most lightning fatalities last year occurred during outdoor activities such as sports, yard work, construction, boating, and recreation. While Pennsylvania avoided a lightning-related death in 2025, emergency managers stress that the state remains vulnerable once thunderstorm season returns.
Lightning risk in Pennsylvania typically increases from late spring through summer, especially during afternoon and evening storms that develop along cold fronts or outflow boundaries. The threat spans the entire state, from urban corridors along I-95 and I-76 to rural areas where outdoor work and recreation are common.
Safety officials say winter is the right time to reinforce habits that save lives. If thunder is heard anywhere in Pennsylvania, residents should move indoors immediately to a substantial building or enclosed vehicle. Open fields, hilltops, isolated trees, metal equipment, and bodies of water significantly increase the risk of being struck.
Emergency management leaders emphasize that early action is the most effective protection. Lightning safety outreach is expected to ramp up statewide as warmer weather approaches, with the goal of keeping Pennsylvania residents safe and off the national fatality list in 2026.
