RE: You think your sparks are big...

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Jim Lux" <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net> 

At 07:32 AM 9/17/2004 -0600, you wrote:
>Original poster: "Stephen Mathieson" <sm-at-uwmail-dot-com>
>Awesome pictures Chris. Just remember that even though every dark cloud has
>a silver lining, hundreds of people are killed each year by lightning while
>looking for it.
>
>Stephen A. Mathieson



Getting a bit off topic, but it has to do with sparks..

Roughly 300 people a year are "hit" by lightning in the US (that report 
it). About 113 are reported killed per year.  It is generally agreed that 
this is an underreport, and the actual number of fatalities is around 
150-300/yr. Lightning is the second highest cause of storm related 
fatalities, after floods.

Florida accounts for about half the overall deaths.  In Florida, men aged 
15-19 are most likely to have been killed (roughly 4 times the overall 
rate). Lots of thunderstorms, flat terrain, people who go out after the 
storm is passed and get hit by a "bolt from the blue".  TX has the second 
most deaths.

The highest risk (normalized to population) is Wyoming (those wide open 
spaces, where you're the only one around to hit), followed by NM, AR, MS, 
and FL.


30% of the deaths are occupationally related (i.e. your job puts you in a 
place where you're likely to get hit...tower monkeys, etc.)