In the past decade,

lightning has killed 52 in Florida and injured hundreds more, making the Sunshine State the No. 1 place for lightning strikes in the United States.

From his work at a Fort Myers furniture store, Chuck Watlington saw the ominous black clouds approaching from the east about 4 p.m. Oct. 3, 2012.

About 20 minutes later, he received a call from his wife, Alda. His 11-year-old son, Jesse, had been struck by lightning at football practice. Watlington’s boss rushed him to a nearby emergency room, where a team of doctors were trying to save Jesse’s life.

“I’m just praying, ‘Please, God, don’t let him die. Please, God, don't let him die,’ ” Watlington recalled.

Four days later, the Watlingtons took their only son off life support at a Tampa hospital after a series of tests showed he was brain dead. Jesse died quickly in the arms of his mom, dad and older sister.

Jesse Watlington was one of 52 people killed by lightning in Florida since Jan. 1, 2007, by far the most of any state in the nation, according to an analysis of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather data. The next closest state was Texas, which had 21 lightning fatalities in that period.

As Florida enters a regular pattern of afternoon thunderstorms, emergency responders and meteorologists urge people to be aware of lightning danger and to take cover when storms approach. Last week was National Lightning Awareness Week.

In all, lightning killed 304 people in the U.S. in the 10-year period, injured thousands more and resulted in an estimated $8.8 billion in homeowner insurance claims.

The 52 Florida fatalities include a woman hit by lightning while driving in Jacksonville, a man killed while picking blueberries in Santa Rosa County and a woman taking shelter under a Sarasota park gazebo. Lightning has killed two people in the U.S. this year, including a construction worker in Florida. Guadalupe Salinas, 46, of Fort Pierce was struck while working in an empty pool on Jensen Beach on the east coast. He died last week.

Florida’s atmosphere — hot and humid, and stirred by sea breezes and coastal fronts — is perfect for developing lightning.

Last year, 1,229,516 lightning flashes were counted in Florida, second only to Texas,

which had just over 4 million, according to Vaisala, a firm that develops environmental measurement products.

Over the last decade, Florida led the nation in flashes per square mile — an average of 20.8 each year.

Nationally, lightning fatalities have been on the decline in recent years, reaching a low of 23 in 2013. In comparison, 48 people were killed by lightning in 2006, according to NOAA data.

John Jensenius, a lightning safety specialist with the National Weather Service and NOAA, credits lightning safety education for some of the reduction. But he’s at odds to explain a spike last year, when 38 people were killed nationally.

In Florida, nine people were killed by lightning in 2016, up from five in 2015 and the most since 11 people were killed by lightning in 2007, according to NOAA.

Of the 52 Florida lightning fatalities since 2007, 20 involved people who were killed on or near the beach or a lake, in a swimming pool or on a boat.

Last June, a tourist from Georgia was struck by lightning and killed on Daytona Beach. In August, lightning killed an Okaloosa County beach vendor and a man riding a personal watercraft in Charlotte County.

New research from the Florida Institute of Technology shows that lightning currents over the ocean are more powerful than over land.