Phoenix, Arizona – Arizona emergency 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 hiking, construction, recreation near water, and travel in exposed terrain. While Arizona did not record a lightning-related death in 2025, officials stress that the state remains especially vulnerable once thunderstorm season returns.
Lightning danger in Arizona rises sharply during the summer monsoon, when fast-developing afternoon and evening storms produce intense lightning, often with little rainfall at first. Central and southern Arizona, including the Phoenix metro area, regularly see cloud-to-ground strikes that can occur miles from the core of a storm. Hikers, outdoor workers, golfers, and people recreating in desert or mountain areas face heightened risk.
State and local officials say winter is the right time to build safer habits ahead of 2026. If thunder is heard anywhere in Arizona, residents should move indoors immediately to a substantial building or enclosed vehicle. Open desert terrain, mountain ridges, isolated trees, metal objects, and washes increase the risk of being struck.
Emergency management leaders emphasize that early decisions save lives. Lightning safety outreach is expected to ramp up statewide as warmer weather approaches, with the goal of keeping Arizona residents informed, prepared, and safe throughout the next monsoon season.
