Columbia, South Carolina – South Carolina 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 beach trips, boating, fishing, yard work, and construction. While South Carolina did not record a lightning-related death in 2025, officials stress that the state remains one of the most lightning-prone areas in the country once storm season returns.
Lightning risk in South Carolina rises sharply from late spring through summer, particularly during afternoon and evening thunderstorms fueled by heat, humidity, and sea-breeze boundaries near the coast. Beaches, golf courses, lakes, athletic fields, and outdoor job sites across the Midlands, Upstate, and Lowcountry are among the highest-risk locations when storms develop quickly.
State and local officials say winter is the right time to strengthen safety habits ahead of 2026. If thunder is heard anywhere in South Carolina, residents should move indoors immediately to a substantial building or enclosed vehicle. Open fields, isolated trees, metal equipment, and bodies of water significantly 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 South Carolina residents informed, prepared, and safe throughout the next thunderstorm season.
