As summer heats up, so do the thunder and lightning storms. And Florida ranks high in the national average when it comes to lightning deaths.
There have been 468 fatalities due to lightning strikes in the state since 1969 according to John Jensenius a lightning safety specialist with the national weather service.
"More recently if we look at say the last 10 years or so Florida is ranking #1 in the country with 52 deaths in just that last 10 years," Jensenius said, "so that’s about an average of a little over 5 deaths per year."
Jenseniussays nationally 82 percent of the lightning deaths are male and the most dangerous activity outdoors for lightning deaths is not golf, but fishing.
The new research by NOAA is part of the kickoff for National Lightning Safety Awareness Week.