Updated

A man was fatally struck by a bolt of lightning while talking to his neighbor about the upcoming hurricane season.

Harold Bennett, 65, was standing outside his home wearing sandals and no shirt when he was hit in the back of his head about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, said his neighbor Judy Thompson.

"It was like somebody had shot him," Thompson, 51, said. "The lightning went right through him ... It was horrible."

It was lightly raining when Bennett, a retired gardner, was taking the garbage outside and spotted Thompson rearranging furniture.

"He always liked to talk any chance he got, and he asked me if I was moving," Thompson said. "I said I was just clearing out the back for hurricane season. He said, 'Now's the time to do it,' and started walking toward me. That's when it hit him."

The two were standing about 25 feet away. Thompson was not hurt.

Wednesday's storm brought about 530 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in Palm Beach County between 5 and 6 p.m., said Roberto Garcia, forecaster with the National Weather Service.