She was walking her two small dogs, Luna and Chubby, along a California river when she was struck by lightning.
Antonia Mendoza Chavez, 52, and both dogs were killed June 22 when a storm rolled through Pico Rivera in southern California, local media reported. Chavez was the first person in the United States killed by lightning this year, according to the National Weather Service.
Then on July 2, two other deaths were reported, including a 39-year-old man in North Georgia. Felipe Flores of Gainesville was killed after being struck by lightning as he loaded tools in a van in Rabun County, according to officials. A Kentucky man died while flying a remote-control airplane.
Since 2010, an average of 21 people have been killed by lightning strikes each year in the U.S., including 40 in 2016, according to the National Lightning Safety Council. Last year, only 11 deaths were blamed on lightning, the council reported.
On Wednesday, a Fort Gordon soldier was killed and nine others injured after lighting struck a training area, according to a spokesperson for the Army base, located near Augusta.
While the risk of being hit by lighting is less than one in a million, lightning safety should still be taken seriously, experts advise. That’s especially true for summertime in Atlanta when pop-up storms pose a risk.
“As the storms develop, the first lightning they produce may come as a surprise because there hadn’t been any lightning up to that point,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz said.
Think you’re safe because it isn’t raining? It doesn’t have to be.
“Lightning can strike five miles, or even more sometimes, away from a thunderstorm,” he said. “As a rule of thumb, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning — even if it’s not raining where you are.”
Beaches can also be deadly spots for lightning strikes, according to experts.
On July 3, a strike killed William Friend, husband of “One Tree Hill” actress Bevin Prince, in North Carolina. Friend, 33, was found on a boat near Mansonboro Island, just south of Wilmington. He was the fourth person killed by lightning this year in the U.S.
In 2021, a 15-year-old Alabama girl died after being hit by lightning as she swam off the coast of Georgia’s Tybee Island, according to investigators. She was the only female of the 11 killed last year, data shows.
According to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 90% of those who are hit by lightning survive. But those in the southeastern U.S. are among the highest risk, the CDC says. And July is the most likely time for strikes. Lightning is believed to have sparked a fire that recently destroyed a Coweta County home.
Even though fewer people have been killed by lightning so far this year and last year compared to previous years, there’s no obvious reason, meteorologists say.
It could be that there’s more public awareness about the dangers of lightning, or the technological advances, such as cellphone weather apps mean fewer people are caught off guard, Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said. Being prepared and understanding the dangers of lightning are keys to staying safe, he said.
The Severe Weather Team 2 app can be downloaded online on wsbtv.com. Weather alerts are also available through the AJC news app, which can be downloaded at AJC.com.
STAYING SAFE DURING LIGHTNING
1. If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you.
2. When you hear thunder, immediately move to safe shelter: a substantial building with electricity or plumbing or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with windows up.
3. Stay in a safe shelter at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder.
4. If you’re inside, stay off electrical equipment that puts you in direct contact with electricity and stay away from windows and doors. Avoid sinks, baths and faucets.
5. If you’re caught outside with no safe shelter, get off elevated areas and never shelter under a tree. Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water. Stay away from objects that conduct electricity, such as barbed wire or power lines.
Source: National Weather Service
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