Death by Lightning

This map (taken from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) shows the number of people killed in the US by lightening between 1959 and 2007. This map suggests that not only are people frequently killed by extreme weather such as hurricanes and tornados, but people are also often killed by less expected extreme weather, in this instance, lightning. According to this map, the majority of people killed by lightning in the USA occurs throughout the south of the country with the highest numbers coming from Florida and Texas. It also strikes me as interesting that 206 people have been killed by lightening in Texas between 1959 and 2007, and in the same state since 1976, 436 were killed due to the death penalty.