Charleston, West Virginia – West Virginia 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, yard work, construction, farming, and recreation near water. While West Virginia did not record a lightning-related death in 2025, officials stress that the state’s terrain and outdoor lifestyle still create significant risk once storm season returns.
Lightning danger in West Virginia typically increases from late spring through summer, especially during afternoon and evening thunderstorms that develop along the Appalachian terrain. The mountains can enhance storm development, placing hikers, outdoor workers, and residents in rural areas at higher risk when storms build quickly.
Emergency management leaders say winter is the right time to strengthen safety habits ahead of 2026. If thunder is heard anywhere in the state, residents should move indoors immediately to a substantial building or enclosed vehicle. Ridge lines, open fields, isolated trees, and bodies of water are especially dangerous during storms.
Officials emphasize that early decisions save lives. Lightning safety messaging is expected to ramp up statewide as warmer weather approaches, with the goal of keeping West Virginia residents prepared and avoiding future tragedy during the next thunderstorm season.
