Sacramento, California – California 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 work in exposed terrain. While California did not record a lightning-related death in 2025, officials stress that the state still faces significant risk due to its size, varied geography, and high level of outdoor activity.
Lightning danger in California is most common from late spring through summer, particularly during Sierra Nevada thunderstorms and monsoon-driven storms affecting Southern California deserts and mountain regions. Dry lightning remains a major concern in northern and interior areas, increasing both strike risk and wildfire danger. Hikers, campers, farm workers, construction crews, and people recreating in remote areas face the greatest exposure.
State and local officials say winter is the right time to strengthen safety habits ahead of 2026. If thunder is heard anywhere in California, residents should move indoors immediately to a substantial building or enclosed vehicle. Open terrain, mountain ridges, isolated trees, metal equipment, and 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 expand statewide as warmer weather approaches, with the goal of keeping Californians prepared, informed, and safe throughout the next thunderstorm season.
