Lightning Death in PA, Injuries in IL
Two middle-aged men were injured by a lightning strike on a lone tree at a golf course outside of Chicago yesterday around 2:45 p.m. Central time. They were taking shelter under the lone tree (which you should never do) when a thunderstorm suddenly moved in. Lightning struck the tree, critically injuring one man; the other was treated and released from a local hospital. CBS-2 has photos of the tree and video is available from NBC-5.
A lightning animation from AccuWeather.com confirms that lightning began in the area between 1:45 and 2:45 p.m., continuing as the storms moved southeast. Although the articles said the storms "moved in suddenly," a radar animation from AccuWeather.com RadarPlus (see above) indicates that the storms were present to the north for some time as they moved over Elgin, Illinois.
And outside of Philadelphia in Thornbury, PA, a man was killed by lightning yesterday afternoon while mowing his lawn. This is another activity that should be immediately curtailed if storms approach. The location of this tragic occurrence is shown at the "X" on this radar movie:
