Annapolis, Maryland – Maryland officials are using the winter months to reinforce 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 boating, sports, yard work, and construction. While Maryland avoided a lightning-related death in 2025, emergency managers stress that the state still faces significant risk once thunderstorm season returns.
Lightning danger in Maryland typically increases from late spring through summer, especially during afternoon and evening storms that develop along cold fronts or sea-breeze boundaries near the Chesapeake Bay. Parks, athletic fields, marinas, job sites, and outdoor events across central and eastern Maryland are among the locations where people are most vulnerable if storms approach quickly.
State and local officials say winter is the right time to build safer habits. If thunder is heard anywhere in Maryland, residents should move indoors immediately to a substantial building or enclosed vehicle. Open fields, isolated trees, rooftops, metal equipment, and all bodies of water significantly increase the risk of being struck.
Emergency management leaders emphasize that early action saves lives. Lightning safety outreach is expected to increase statewide as warmer weather approaches, with the goal of keeping Maryland residents prepared and protected throughout the 2026 storm season.
