Lightning — Okaloosa, Florida

2006-08-09 · near Valparaiso, Okaloosa, Florida

Event narrative

A group of recruits were attending Army Ranger Camp and were laying on the ground as a thunderstorm approached them. Evidently, lightning hit a nearby tree and ran through the root system of the tree. Six of the rangers were injured by the strike and were transported to a local hospital and later released. None of them suffered any serious injuries.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5530333. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.