Lightning strikes kill thousands globally each year, but for those who survive, the storm is far from over
Researchers say the new database has 2,100-plus entries and pairs casualty counts with survivor interviews to document lasting injury and mental health effects.
- Researcher Daile Zhang at the University of North Dakota works with the African Centres and Lightning Education Network to document lightning fatalities across Africa, where risks are acutely concentrated globally.
- Central Africa's unique geography, including the Congo Basin, fuels 2 million to 4 million lightning strikes annually. Yet the National Lightning Safety Council slogan, "When thunder roars, go indoors," fails because about half of incidents occur indoors in unprotected buildings.
- Survivors often face debilitating, invisible conditions including chronic pain, brain injury, and memory loss lasting years. Yet medical professionals frequently dismiss their symptoms as psychological because lightning strikes leave no visible scars.
- Tracking incidents across Africa is difficult due to poor internet access and language barriers—at least 75 languages spoken by over a million people each. Researchers have compiled over 2,100 database entries from 46 of 54 African countries since January 2018.
- Understanding "hazard" and "exposure" levels identifies high-risk regions needing protection systems most urgently. Of 15 African countries with sufficient data, 14 fall into high or very high lightning risk categories, underscoring urgent safety needs.
49 Articles
49 Articles
The Conversation
Lightning strikes kill thousands globally each year, but for those who survive, the storm is far from over
Survivors of lightning strikes often struggle to find physicians who know how to treat them. Rakesh Bakshi/AFP via Getty ImagesEvery year, an estimated 6,000 to 24,000 people are killed by lightning across the world, and many more are injured. Obviously, there is a wide range in these numbers, and that’s due to the fact that these estimates are built on limited and incomplete information. I’m a lightning researcher at the University of North Dak…
Daile Zhang, a researcher in atmospheric science at the University of North Dakota, detailed on August 10, 2026 in The Conversation what happens to those struck by lightning and who escape it. In the United States, however, more than two thirds of them do not bear any marks on the skin, and this is precisely what makes it difficult for them to take care of them. The sequelae of lightning mainly affect the brain, nerves and inner ear, organs that…
Lightning moves kill 1000’s globally each and every yr, however for many who live on, the hurricane is a ways from over
Once a year, an estimated 6,000 to 24,000 individuals are killed via lightning the world over, and lots of extra are injured. Clearly, there’s a variety in those numbers, and that’s because of the truth that those estimates are constructed on restricted and incomplete knowledge. I’m a lightning researcher on the College of North Dakota. I learn about each the physics of lightning and its affect on other folks. The physics is similar regardless o…
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