A MetService spokesperson said the agency doesn’t keep records of lightning strikes on humans, but there have been recent incidents of livestock deaths from lightning.
Compared to other countries, lightning doesn’t occur frequently around Aotearoa, the Ministry for the Environment has reported.
Over the past 12 months, about 22,000 lightning cloud-to-ground strikes over land have been recorded in New Zealand, MetService said.
Lightning expert University of Otago professor Craig Rodger told RNZ earlier this year that New Zealand has about 300 to 1500 times lower frequency of lightning than the typical rate in the rest of the world.
It makes the odds of “interacting” with lightning even lower, he said.
Who’s more likely to be struck by lightning?
A close-up picture of Chris Wilson's gumboot, which was damaged by lightning, and the farm in the background.
Sorry, men, but the electrifying truth is that males are around four times more likely to be hit by lightning than women.
Farmers and ranchers who work outdoors, like the Westport dairy worker, are also more likely to be lightning victims.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has taken a deep dive into lightning deaths and also found the average age of someone struck by lightning was 37.
There were 444 lightning strike deaths in the US between 2006 and 2021, the CDC also noted.
What should you do in a storm?
Get indoors, quickly.
“Lightning is a bolt of electricity trying to find the easiest way to the ground, and the goal is for that not to be through you,” the MetService spokesperson said.
“The worst place to be during a lightning storm is outside, especially if you are the biggest thing around.
“Professions that involve a lot of outdoor work need to be particularly aware when there is a risk of thunderstorms. Similarly, for people enjoying the outdoors, if you hear thunder head indoors.”
The National Emergency Management Agency also offers advice on what to do during a lightning storm:
If you cannot find any suitable shelter, as a last resort, find a low-lying, open place away from trees, poles, or metal objects.
If you are physically able to, crouch low to the ground on the balls of your feet. Place your hands on your knees and your head between your knees.
Minimize your body’s surface area and minimize your contact with the ground. Lightning currents often enter a victim through the ground rather than by a direct overhead strike.
“It’s always good to be able to reinforce the importance of heading indoors, don’t shelter under trees and if you can’t get indoors get low,” the MetService spokesperson said.
