Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
A week after deadly Texas flooding, hope fades but resilience grows. Chevron right
Recovery teams, displaced residents in Texas face brutal heat. Chevron right

Columbus, OH

71°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

71°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Severe Weather

1st lightning fatality of 2021 reported in New Jersey

By Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer

Updated Jun 10, 2021 7:35 PM EDT

Copied

A man has died after he was struck by lightning at a New Jersey country club, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported on Wednesday. This is the first recorded lightning fatality in the United States this year.

The NWS reported that an unidentified man was fatally injured at Burlington Country Club in Westampton Township, New Jersey, which sits roughly 30 minutes northeast of Philadelphia. Officials confirmed via Action News that it had happened around 3:45 p.m. EDT when the man was playing golf between the 6th and 7th hole during a thunderstorm.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

“Thunderstorms were popping up across the mid-Atlantic all afternoon with frequent lightning," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Lada said. “Thunderstorms are typically considered severe when it is producing hail or wind gusts over 55 mph. The thunderstorm that tracked near Westampton, New Jersey, this afternoon did not meet the severe criteria but shows that any thunderstorm can be dangerous.”

The weather radar on Wednesday, June 9, 2021 around the time that a lightning fatality was reported in Burlington County, New Jersey. The storm near Willingboro is believed to have caused the lightning bolt. (AccuWeather)

The NWS recorded 17 lightning fatalities during 2020. Lightning kills an average of 49 people each year in the U.S., and hundreds more are injured.

From 2006 through 2019, 418 people were struck and killed by lightning across the nation, according to a 2020 report by the National Lightning Safety Council. Sports-related fatalities, which includes golf, made up about 14% of these fatalities. Of all sports-related lightning fatalities, golf is the second-most dangerous activity after soccer, the National Lightning Safety Council said.

However, fishermen also accounted for four times as many fatalities as golfers, and beach activities and camping each accounted for twice as many deaths as golf, according to the analysis.

The summer months of June, July and August are also considered the peak months for lightning activity. Since 2006, July has had more lightning-related fatalities than any other month, followed by June, according to the council.

Related:

Woman, 23, tells her terrifying story of being struck by lightning inside her home
Texas governor vows to ‘weatherize’ after deadly winter crisis
Record-setting blob of ‘sea snot’ has environmentalists concerned

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Weather News

A week after deadly Texas flooding, hope fades but resilience grows

Jul. 10, 2025
Severe Weather

Rounds of severe storms to rattle, drench central US

Jul. 10, 2025
video

Abandoned cars submerged by severe flooding in North Carolina

Jul. 10, 2025
video

Before-and-after pictures show devastation caused by Texas floods

Jul. 9, 2025
Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

Jul. 6, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather Forecasts

Texas Hill Country recovery, cleanup teams to face brutal July weather

15 hours ago

Weather News

State inspection before floods found Camp Mystic had emergency plan

20 hours ago

Weather News

Deadly flash flooding devastates wildfire-scarred New Mexico town

8 hours ago

Astronomy

1st full moon of summer to rise Thursday night

1 day ago

Weather News

Most Texas flood victims face devastation without flood insurance

17 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Health

How can families handle new anxieties around summer camp?

14 hours ago

AccuWeather Ready

Floodwater rising in your house? Do this

2 days ago

Weather News

Orcas are bringing humans gifts of food – but why?

14 hours ago

Weather News

Earthquake swarm detected at Mount Rainier, biggest since 2009

19 hours ago

Weather News

The US has a plan to breed millions of flies and drop them from planes

14 hours ago

AccuWeather Severe Weather 1st lightning fatality of 2021 reported in New Jersey
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...