A Colorado cattle rancher and 34 of his cattle have been killed after lightning struck over the weekend, according to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.
Mike Morgan, 51, was feeding some of his herd with hay from a trailer on Sunday when the lightning hit near the town of Rand, about 80 miles northwest of Denver, the sheriff's office told news media outlets. Morgan died despite life-saving efforts.
George Crocket, a country coroner in the town of Rand, close to Denver where the farmland is located, told ABC News that Morgan's father-in-law and wife were nearby and survived. The strike also bowled over dozens more cattle gathered around the trailer waiting to eat, Crocket said.
The sheriff's office and Crocket didn't immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.
Georgie Campbell:Equestrian star dies after fall during Bicton International Horse Trials
According to the National Weather Service, the most common time for lightning strikes is during the summer months, though strikes peak in June, USA TODAY previously reported.
Five of the top 10 lightning days in 2023 happened from June 14 to June 21 when the Northern Hemisphere experienced its highest temperatures. The most intense lightning storms ranged from the edge of the Rockies, through the Middle Plains and to the Southeast. Large thunderstorms in the Northern Plains and eastern states also contributed.
See our U.S. map of lightning hot zones.
About 25 million ground strikes occur each year, the National Weather Service reports, and over the past 30 years, there have been 51 known fatalities. About 90% of those struck survive.
If living in a lightning hot zone of the U.S., here's what the National Weather Service suggests you do:
Contributing: Janet Loehrke
2024-12-25 11:552684 view
2024-12-25 11:502857 view
2024-12-25 11:331669 view
2024-12-25 11:271980 view
2024-12-25 10:57850 view
2024-12-25 10:552694 view
Michael Bublécan’t shake off the memories he made at the Eras Tour.The Voicecoach attended the final
The job market remains one of the U.S. economy's main engines, with the nation's unemployment rate n
Whether by design or coincidence – and in reality it’s probably a little of both –, the number of bl