A Georgia boy fishing with his father was struck by lightning on a clear day along a Florida beach recently.​

The 11­-year-­old boy was in knee-­deep water when he was struck. Witnesses said storms looked like they were several miles away.

Lightning can strike as far as 5 to 10 miles from a storm, even in areas that most people do not consider to be at risk. Cloud-to-ground lightning is a potential killer during a thunderstorm too.

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Public Service Commission candidate Peter Hubbard gets a hug from Brionté McCorkle, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, during an election-night party in Southwest Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.  (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC