Colorado in the top five states where you’re most likely to be struck by lightning

You already have to worry about rattlesnakes and bears and tornadoes in Colorado, and now this?!

Coloradans know summer thunderstorms are part of the deal. But a new study says the state is one of the most dangerous places in the country to be caught outside when those afternoon clouds start to build.

An analysis of 20 years of weather data from the National Lightning Safety Council and the National Weather Service ranks Colorado third in the nation for lightning-related fatalities, behind only Florida and Texas. The study, reported by Travel & Leisure, reviewed every recorded lightning death in each state from 2006 to 2025.

Florida tops the list with 97 confirmed lightning deaths over those two decades, driven by its combination of heat, humidity and sea breezes that produce roughly 1.2 million lightning strikes a year. Texas ranked second. Colorado’s placement at No. 3 reflects what anyone who has hiked a fourteener in July already suspects — the state’s high elevation, dry air and intense afternoon convection create prime conditions for dangerous storms.

The danger peaks from June through August, with July historically the deadliest month and afternoons the most likely time for a fatal strike. The study found that nearly two-thirds of all U.S. lightning deaths occurred during outdoor leisure activities — a stat that should give pause to Colorado’s hikers, golfers, anglers and anyone else who spends summer afternoons outside.

For perspective, the odds of being struck by lightning in any given year are less than one in a million. You’re statistically more likely to bowl a perfect 300, break a bone or even be injured by your toilet. Five states — Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Washington — haven’t recorded a single lightning fatality since 2006. Colorado, clearly, is not one of them.