Shark Attacks
A Comparison with the Number of Lightning Fatalities in Coastal States of the United States
| State |
Period |
Number of
Lightning
Strikes |
Number of
Lightning
Fatalities |
Number of
Shark
Attacks |
Number of
Shark
Fatalities |
| Alabama |
1959-1994 |
295 |
84 |
1 |
0 |
| California |
1959-1994 |
79 |
21 |
70 |
6 |
| Connecticut |
1959-1994 |
88 |
13 |
1 |
0 |
| Delaware |
1959-1994 |
42 |
15 |
4 |
0 |
| Florida |
1959-1994 |
1523 |
345 |
226 |
5 |
| Georgia |
1959-1994 |
410 |
81 |
3 |
0 |
| Hawaii |
1959-1994 |
4 |
0 |
51 |
5 |
| Louisiana |
1959-1994 |
347 |
116 |
1 |
0 |
| Maine |
1959-1994 |
126 |
22 |
0 |
0 |
| Maryland |
1959-1994 |
250 |
116 |
0 |
0 |
| Massachusetts |
1959-1994 |
355 |
24 |
0 |
0 |
| Mississippi |
1959-1994 |
296 |
89 |
1 |
0 |
| New Hampshire |
1959-1994 |
76 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
| New Jersey |
1959-1994 |
185 |
55 |
5 |
0 |
| New York |
1959-1994 |
577 |
128 |
1 |
0 |
| North Carolina |
1959-1994 |
629 |
165 |
7 |
0 |
| Oregon |
1959-1994 |
26 |
7 |
12 |
0 |
| Puerto Rico |
1959-1994 |
36 |
30 |
1 |
0 |
| Rhode Island |
1959-1994 |
49 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
| South Carolina |
1959-1994 |
306 |
77 |
12 |
0 |
| Texas |
1959-1994 |
498 |
164 |
14 |
1 |
| Virginia |
1959-1994 |
235 |
51 |
1 |
0 |
| Washington |
1959-1994 |
40 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
|
| TOTALS |
|
6,470* |
1,618* |
412 |
17 |
| Number per Year (average) |
|
179.7* |
44.9* |
11.4 |
0.5 |
|
Copyright International Shark Attack File
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| *Lightning data for coastal states only. In the entire United States during the period 1959-1994 there were 13,057 lightning strikes of humans resulting in 3,239 deaths (362.7 and 90.0 per year, respectively). |
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Source of lightning data: Lightning Fatalities, Injuries and Damage Reports in the United States from 1959-1994, NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS SR-193. | |
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|
Source of shark attack data: International Shark Attack File, 18 July 2003.
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