Chris Vagasky, Meteorologist and Lightning Applications Manager for Vaisala, joined FOX Weather to talk more about lightning for Lightning Safety Awareness Week.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – A man in his 20s was injured by a lightning strike while standing in the ocean off New Smyrna Beach on Friday afternoon.
The lightning bolt struck the water near the man, but with water being a conductor of electricity, the man still suffered an electrical shock from the blast, according to the New Smyrna Beach Fire Department.
New Smyrna Fire, Volusia County Fire and Edmonton EMS responded to the scene, where they found the man unconscious and in cardiac arrest.
Fire officials said he was quickly taken to a local hospital, where they were able to regain his pulse.
The man’s condition is unknown.
Florida is considered the lightning capital of the U.S. with nearly 300 lightning strikes per square mile per year, according to recent studies.
