Lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from an active thunderstorm, according to the National Weather Service. Robinson said those outdoors should pay attention to forecasts and severe weather watches and warnings, though it can be difficult to predict when and where a storm will occur.

At least one person was killed and 13 others, including a 7-year-old, were injured in a lightning strike at an outdoor archery club in southern New Jersey on Wednesday evening, according to officials.

A 27-year-old deliveryman described the moments after a lightning strike during storms earlier this week that narrowly missed him.

The odds of being struck by lightning is less than one in a million in a given year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But people have died from lightning strikes in New Jersey before. In June 2024, a Manchester man was killed in Seaside Park.