Lessons learned

Last night, Scott and I sat out on our lanai (which is Yankee/Florida talk for "screened-in back porch") watching the most amazing lightning storm. That is one of the things I love about living here. This picture was taken from downtown.



Amazing. We never counted more than two seconds between bolts.

So, since I have all this spare time and nothing to do this morning (oh my word), I wanted to know more about Florida lightning storms. I had been told that Florida is the lightning capital of the world. Not so BUT here are some of the TRUE facts I learned.

1. More people die from lightning strikes in Florida every year than in any other state.
2. Tampa has lightning about 90 days a year, which is basically almost every day in the summer. 3. Even though Florida storms aren't as lightning-filled as those in the Midwest, we still see more strikes per year than anywhere in the nation.
4. Central Florida, from Tampa to Titusville, is "Lightning Alley" in the U.S.
5. Florida leads the nation in lightning deaths, injuries and casualties.
6. In Hillsborough County, 32 people were killed by lightning between 1959 and 2003.
7. With all the talk in recent years about hurricanes, I find it interesting that, on average, hurricanes are responsible for 8.7 percent of weather-related deaths in Florida each year. Tornadoes are responsible for 13 percent. Those pale in comparison to lightning, which is responsible for more than 53 percent of deaths in the state.

Needless to say, from now on, Scott and I will be watching the summer lightning storms from the sofa. :)