I reckon I've had about twenty strikes in a 25 year career. It sounds a lot, but I think it depends on what aircraft you fly and where. My first aircraft (HP Victor K2) seemed very prone and I had several in a few years. Also, the Victor used to get very impressive St Elmo's fire - inside the flight deck as well. And once, I saw ball lightning inside the aircraft - fascinating! Now, I fly around the tropics amongst lots of storms and I had three last year.
But strikes are actually quite likely in temperate zones. From my experience, strikes are likely even from small clouds and most common at the height of the zero degree isotherm. As the elecrical potential in a storm cloud is greatest near cloudbase, your experience with a surface temperature of 40 degrees f, a strike at 3000' on finals sounds about right. As aircraft have limited room to manouevre when approaching an airfield, avoidance of potential strike clouds is limited at that altitude - whereas at higher altitudes it's easier to give them a wide berth. I used to fly 747 freighters between Asia and Europe. In three years on the fleet, I had three strikes - all on approach to Manchester in the north of England!
Damage is usually rare and the aircraft acts like a faraday cage and will protect the occupants. But not always! I was struck in a VC10 on the refuelling probe above the radome. The F/O got a shock through his feet, I was transmitting at the tile and got a shock through the hand on the transmit switch down the left side of my body through my left foot. It hurt! And I'm still suffereing minor effects ten years later. Also, the lightning passed through the centre of the cabin exiting through the wingtips. Holes were burned in the probe, each wingtip, the radar and a radio blew and both compass detectors were damaged.
And lightning does strike twice. I also got a shock on my first strike which was in a glider. Lightning arced off the metal part of the airbrake lever and got me on the palm of my left hand. The shock was quite mild from this strike, the burn from it hurt more. I still have a scar from the burn.
But don't let it worry you. Just make sure that when you fly next, I'm not the pilot!