Although your risk of being struck by summer lightning is extremely small, you can make it still smaller by taking some basic precautions.

"Lightning is one of the most dangerous and frequently encountered weather hazards," said Dr. Sandra Schneider, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), in a college news release. "A person's risk for lightning injury is most consistently related to their failure to take appropriate precautions."

In the United States alone, lightning kills 55 people each year and seriously injures hundreds more, according to the ACEP. Lightning strikes the earth about 25 million times annually, according to U.S. Weather Service records.

Officials with the Alabama Forestry Commission say ground moisture levels in 12 north Alabama counties have increased enough to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire, justifying downgrading these counties from Drought Emergency (No Burn) to Fire Alert. Counties included are: Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin, Marion, Limestone, Lawrence, Winston, Madison, Morgan, Jackson, Marshall, and DeKalb.

For most people, insect stings are a painful annoyance, but they can be deadly for those who are allergic to them, researchers warn.

Each year in the United States, more than half a million people have to go to emergency departments after suffering insect stings, and at least 50 die, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, which recently released updated guidelines for diagnosing and treating people with hypersensitivity to insect stings.

Its three key recommendations for people who are allergic to stings: