2 hunters killed by lightning strike in Colorado
Two men died in Conejos County, Colorado, after a lightning strike during a hunting trip earlier this month. Their deaths bring the U.S. lightning fatality toll to 16 this year.
A powerful lightning bolt strikes from a monsoon thunderstorm over Salt Lake City, Utah and the Wasatch mountain range. (Getty Images/mdesigner125)
Two hunters died earlier this month in south-central Colorado after being struck by lightning, officials confirmed this week.
The men were identified as Andrew Porter of Asheville, North Carolina, and Ian Stasko of Salt Lake City, Utah. They went missing around Sept. 12 while on a hunting trip in Conejos County, a remote area near the New Mexico border.
Search teams scoured the rugged terrain for days before locating their bodies on Sept. 18, several miles from their last known location. The Conejos County coroner confirmed on Monday that the men died as a result of a lightning strike, according to 9News, a Colorado-based news station.
Their deaths bring the number of lightning fatalities in the United States this year to 16, according to the National Lightning Safety Council. That is the highest annual total since 19 deaths were reported in 2022.
Colorado consistently ranks among the states with the most lightning strikes, especially in late summer and early fall during the North American monsoon.
Storms can quickly erupt and behave erratically in the mountains, which can catch people off guard if they are not paying close attention to the weather.
Experts urge anyone heading outdoors to check the forecast and seek shelter at the first sign of a storm. For hikers and hunters in high terrain, that means moving to lower elevations—particularly if you’re above the treeline. Lightning can strike miles from a storm, and in the mountains, can be accompanied by a rapid drop in temperature.
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