Lightning Facts and Safety Lightning can be fascinating to watch during a summer thunderstorm, but don’t underestimate how dangerous lightning can be. Every year in the USA there are roughly 25 million cloud-to-ground flashes and about 300 people are struck by lightning. About 30 people are killed every year and others experience lifelong disabilities from the lightning strike. Some of these victims say they were caught outside with no place to go. Others just waited too long to get safely indoors. A good rule of thumb to go by is if you hear thunder roar, go indoors! There is no safe place outdoors during a thunderstorm. If you can hear thunder, you are probably close enough to the storm to be hit by lightning. Get inside a sturdy building or hard topped vehicle. Wait at least 30 minutes after hearing thunder to go back outside. Stay away from open windows and avoid contact with electrical appliances and plumbing. Lightning Facts Lightning itself doesn’t have a temperature technically. It is the movement of electrical charges, but it can heat the air it passes through to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit! It can travel through wiring and plumbing if a building is struck. This is why it is recommended to not take a bath or shower or wash dishes during a storm. Lighting can strike up to 10 miles away from the storm. Taller objects in an area tend to be targets. Trees are NOT a safe shelter from lightning. It’s the 2nd most dangerous place to be during a storm. The most dangerous is in a wide open outdoor space. Every second, there’s about 100 lightning strikes around the globe. A lightning bolt can travel at 270,000 miles per hour. If outside during a storm, crouching down will not help you stay safe. Lightning can (and sometimes will) strike the same place more than once. “Heat lightning” is caused by cloud-to-ground lightning that occurs far enough away that the sound of thunder cannot be heard. It will fuse together grains of sand when the lightning strikes sand, creating a small glass like tube. The average length of a lightning bolt is 2-3 miles. Interesting history fact: at one point it was believed that ringing church bells would repel lightning. During a storm bell ringers would go to the bell towers to ring the bells. A high tower with a metal bell was one of the worst places to be during a thunderstorm. Over 100 bell ringers were killed by lightning in France between 1753-1786. This practice was finally banned. Lighting Indoor Safety Tips from NOAA: Safe shelters are buildings with electricity and plumbing or metal-topped vehicles with the windows closed. Picnic shelters, dugouts and small buildings without plumbing or electricity are not safe. Below are some key safety tips for you, your pets and your home. There are three main ways lightning enters structures: a direct strike, through wires or pipes that extend outside the structure or through the ground. Once in a structure, lightning can travel through the electrical, phone, plumbing, and radio/television reception systems. Lightning can also travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.. Stay off corded phones. You can use cellular or cordless phones. Don’t touch electrical equipment such as computers, TVs, or cords. You can use remote controls safely. Avoid plumbing. Do not wash your hands, take a shower or wash dishes. Stay away from exterior windows and doors doors that might contain metal components leading from outside your home to the inside. Stay off balconies, porches and out of open garages or car ports. Do not lie on concrete floors or lean against concrete walls. Protect your pets: Dog houses are not safe shelters. Dogs that are chained to trees or on metal runners are particularly vulnerable to lightning strikes. Protect your property: Lightning generates electric surges that can damage electronic equipment some distance from the actual strike. Typical surge protectors will not protect equipment from a lightning strike. Do not unplug equipment during a thunderstorm as there is a risk you could be struck. Outside Safety: When a Safe Location is not Nearby If you absolutely cannot get to safety, you can slightly lessen the threat of being struck with the following tips. But don’t kid yourself–you are NOT safe outside. Know the weather patterns of the area you plan to visit. For example, in mountainous areas, thunderstorms typically develop in the early afternoon, so plan to hike early in the day and be down the mountain by noon. Listen to the weather forecast for the outdoor area you plan to visit. The forecast may be very different from the one near your home. If there is a high chance of thunderstorms, stay inside. Avoid open fields, the top of a hill or a ridge top. Stay away from tall, isolated trees or other tall objects. If you are in a forest, stay near a lower stand of trees. If you are in a group, spread out to avoid the current traveling between group members. If you are camping in an open area, set up camp in a valley, ravine or other low area. Remember, a tent offers NO protection from lighting. Stay away from water, wet items, such as ropes, and metal objects, such as fences and poles. Water and metal do not attract lightning but they are excellent conductors of electricity. The current from a lightning flash will easily travel for long distances.
For more information go to the NOAA website: Lightning Safety
Photo credits: photos 2 & 4—Thom Jewell Photography
photos 1 & 3—A Sparrow’s View Photography
