Summer weather safety week is underway across Missouri and Kansas, as state health officials and weather professionals try to raise awareness of the dangers associated with extreme conditions. One of the areas of focus this year is on heat-related deaths, primarily, those resulting from being left in a car. Since 1998 there have been 800 kids killed from being left in a hot vehicle.
Mike Albano is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Springfield. He says they’re also trying to draw attention to a dangerous weather condition that often gets overlooked.
There are approximately 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes each year.