Nashville, Tennessee – Tennessee 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 boating, fishing, farming, construction, and recreational sports. While Tennessee did not record a lightning-related death in 2025, officials say the state remains vulnerable once thunderstorm season returns.
Lightning risk in Tennessee typically increases from late spring through summer, especially during afternoon and evening storms that develop quickly across the Cumberland Plateau, Middle Tennessee, and the Mississippi River Valley. Outdoor workers, hikers, athletes, and people near lakes and rivers face the greatest exposure when storms build with little warning.
State and local officials say winter is the right time to strengthen safety habits. If thunder is heard anywhere in Tennessee, residents should move indoors immediately to a substantial building or enclosed vehicle. Open fields, ridge tops, 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 increase statewide as warmer weather approaches, with the goal of keeping Tennessee residents informed, prepared, and protected throughout the 2026 storm season.
