Lightning strike kills 15 cows in freak weather incident

Thundersnow: CCTV captures lightning in Southampton

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The cows were at a family farm in Macon County, Alabama when a storm passed through the state on Monday. The cows fell victim to the adverse weather despite the chances of being hit by lightning being around one in a million, according to the National Weather Service.

Frank Lee, director of the county’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA), told local news outlet WSFA that the livestock were discovered by the farm’s owners, who are now in the process of burying the deceased cattle.

The extreme weather has affected several southern states this week and, according to the Associated Press, it has resulted in at least three deaths and numerous injuries.

Alabama saw flash floods and strong winds across the state, with the weather being so bad that tens of thousands of people have been left without power.

The EMA’s office has sent a report about what happened on the farm to the National Weather Service in Birmingham, Alabama.

Lightning was the leading causes of storm-related fatalities in the USA from 2009 to 2018, with there being 27 lightning-related deaths on average each year there.

This is most often seen in the form of cardiac arrest at the time of the strike, but many victims who survive die due to brain damage just days later.

Those who do survive are often left with symptoms such as headaches, chronic pain, cognitive issues, depression and personality changes.

Despite the incredibly low odds of being hit by lightning, this is not the first incident of its kind involving cows.

In 2019, 23 cows were killed after being instantly electrocuted when the metal fence they were lined up near was hit by lightning.

Bobby “Trey” Woody III found the dead cattle in northern Texas and took images of what he called one of the “wildest and craziest” events he had ever experienced.

He said: “We had a bad thunderstorm hit our ranch a few days ago, and we didn’t think nothing of it.

“Well, this morning when my dad went out to check the cows, this is what he found. Lighting struck a fence near where some of our cattle were laying and killed them.”

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