Watch: Lightning sets palm tree on fire just feet away from Arizona couple
In recent weeks, three serious and fatal lightning incidents have occurred in Florida, Utah and Montana. Nine lightning deaths have occurred so far this year. Over the past 10 years, the U.S. has averaged about 18 deaths from lightning by mid-August.
Lightning hits tree next to couple on Arizona back porch
Miguel Olivas captured an incredible video of a life-or-death situation just feet away while spending time with his girlfriend, Lisette De La Cruz, in San Tan Valley, Arizona. The couple joins FOX Weather to discuss more about the intense atmospheric phenomenon.
SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. – It wasn't just the lightning that flashed before an Arizona couple's eyes over the weekend. Just feet away from them, a life-or-death situation unfolded.
Miguel Olivas narrowly escaped the dangerous situation while unintentionally capturing the extreme weather event on his cellphone alongside his girlfriend, Lisette De La Cruz.
The couple had just returned from a camping trip and were relaxing on De La Cruz's parents' back porch in San Tan Valley, having a chat just before 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
Then, all of a sudden, BAM!
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE IS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING
It wasn't just the lightning that flashed before an Arizona couple's eyes. Feet before them was a life-or-death situation.
(Miguel Olivas)
A loud explosion and a bright blue flash. It wasn't fireworks, but Mother Nature's sizzling atmospheric phenomenon striking a palm tree about 20 feet away.
"I was just really dumbfounded," Olivas told FOX Weather. "I was just in shock. I didn't even know how to react."
No one was injured by the strike.
WARNING: The video below contains language some might find objectionable.
Watch: Lightning sets palm tree on fire in Arizona backyard
WARNING: This video contains language some people might find objectionable. Lisette De La Cruz and her boyfriend, Miguel Olivas, are still shaken after witnessing a lightning bolt strike a palm tree just a few feet away from them on Sunday in San Tan Valley, Arizona.
The deafening soundwave from the strike even awoke De La Cruz's slumbering parents as it rocked the home.
De La Cruz said when she saw the tree catch fire, she ran inside to let her parents know what was unfolding in their backyard.
"Then, my dad came in with a hose and started hosing it down so it didn't spread more," she said.
BOLTING IT: WHY YOU SHOULD RUSH INDOORS WHEN YOU SEE LIGHTNING OR HEAR THUNDER
Recent lightning-related deaths now bring national death toll to 9
A Utah fisherman was killed Sunday after lightning struck a boat; it's the third lightning-related injury incident this month in the U.S. and ninth death overall in the nation this year.
Summer is deadliest season for lightning
Summer is the time when most fatal lightning strikes happen in the U.S., as more people are outdoors doing what they enjoy.
Meteorologist Lightning Data and Safety Specialist Chris Vagasky, with the National Lightning Safety Council, said sheltering under a tree is a safety misconception.
"Trees tend to be tall, isolated and pointy, which is what makes them prone to being struck by lightning," Vagasky told FOX Weather. "The lightning will strike the tree. The electricity travels through the tree. It may jump from the tree into you, or the electricity may travel through the ground and then into you."
LIGHTNING SAFETY: WHEN THUNDER ROARS, EVEN TAKING OUT THE TRASH CAN TURN DEADLY
In recent weeks, three serious and fatal lightning incidents have occurred in Florida, Utah and Montana. Nine lightning deaths have occurred so far this year. Over the past 10 years, the U.S. has averaged about 18 deaths from lightning by mid-August.
The most recent lightning victims were enjoying outdoor sports or activities when they were struck.