The number of deaths caused annually by lightning in the United States has dropped by almost 78% since 1968, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The total number of deaths in 2010 – the last year for which data are available – was 29, compared with 129 in 1968. There were 24 deaths among males in 2010, a drop of 78.6% from the 112 deaths in 1968. Among women, the number of deaths decreased by 70.6% – from 17 deaths in 1968 to 5 in 2010, the CDC reported (MMWR 2013;62:578).
During the 43-year period from 1968 to 2010, a total of 3,389 deaths were caused by lightning, with 85% occurring in males, the CDC said.
