Richmond, Virginia – Virginia 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, hiking, yard work, construction, and organized sports. While Virginia did not record a lightning-related death in 2025, emergency managers stress that the Commonwealth remains vulnerable once thunderstorm season returns.
Lightning risk in Virginia typically increases from late spring through summer, especially during afternoon and evening storms that develop along cold fronts and across the Blue Ridge, Piedmont, and Tidewater regions. Parks, athletic fields, construction sites, farms, and waterways are among the locations where exposure increases quickly 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 Virginia, residents should move indoors immediately to a substantial building or enclosed vehicle. Open fields, ridge lines, 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 ramp up statewide as warmer weather approaches, with the goal of keeping Virginia residents prepared and protected throughout the 2026 storm season.
