Lightning can be an almost daily threat in Colorado’s high country.
Lightning storm near Estes Park, Colorado (Photo: Michael Price/500px via Getty)
Published July 27, 2026 03:08 pm
Lightning struck Colorado on Sunday afternoon 14,264 feet One teenager was killed, another teenager suffered serious injuries and three other adults were injured at Mount Blue Sky Fortner.
Clear Creek County emergency responders, Denver Mountain Parks, Alpine Rescue Squad, Clear Creek EMS, Sheriff’s Office and the US Forest Service all responded to the incident after receiving a call at 1:22 p.m. amid the rapidly moving storm.
Jenny Fulton, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office. told colorado sun The second minor was medically evacuated with serious injuries, although his condition is unknown at this time.
The hiker who died, another minor, and two adults who were injured were all hiking together when lightning struck. Another member of his party was not injured. A pedestrian from the other group was also injured.
Don Wilson, public information officer of the Alpine Rescue Team, said backpacker, “Mount Blue Sky is quite temperamental, and storms often hit it after lunch. It has beautiful scenery, and it’s one of the highest peaks in the country that you can drive to. But the weather can change.”
an average of 500,000 attacks Hurricanes make landfall in Colorado each year and are most likely to occur from June to September. Data collected from 2006 to 2024 showed that Colorado had Third highest number of deaths due to lightning Of any state.
“If you see signs of a lightning strike, get out of there as quickly as possible,” Wilson said.
“Lightning can destroy your life if it doesn’t kill you… I mean, physically, mentally and emotionally it has major side effects.”
Although lightning can strike anywhere, high-lying peaks and hills are especially vulnerable to strike. Colorado has the highest chance of being struck by lightning Early afternoon. National Park Service recommended Avoiding elevated areas during a storm, reducing surface area, hunkering down, and avoiding conductive objects such as fences and power lines. (Other experts argue that hunkering down and assuming “lightning conditions” are unhelpful and not supported by evidence, Dr. Ron Hooley, a meteorologist and safety expert with the Lightning Safety Council, tells backpacker Conventional advice is “useless”.)
