Lightning Awareness
Aug 10, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
Summer marks the peak season for a deadly and yet
dangerously misunderstood weather phenomena –
lightning.
Although the summer months are the most dangerous,
lightning casualties occur year-round. Already 8
people have died in 2008 due to lightning strikes.
During the past 30 years lightning killed an average
of 66 people per year in the United States.
Documented lightning injuries in the United States
average about 300 per year according to NOAA’s
National Weather Service.
Thunderstorms are most likely to develop on warm summer days and go through various stages of growth, development and dissipation.
During a thunderstorm, each flash of cloud-to-ground lightning is a potential killer. The determining factor on whether a particular flash could be deadly depends on whether a person is in the path of the lightning discharge. In addition to the visible flash that travels through the air, the current associated with the lightning discharge travels along the ground. Although some victims are struck directly by the main lightning strike, many victims are struck as the current moves in and along the ground.
Lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from the rain area in a thunderstorm. That’s about the distance you can hear the thunder. If you can hear thunder, you are within striking distance. Seek safe shelter immediately!
Use the 30-30 rule where visibility is good and there is nothing obstructing your view of the thunderstorm. When you see lightning, count the time until you hear thunder; if that time is 30 seconds or less, the thunderstorm is within 6 miles of you and is dangerous. Seek shelter immediately. The threat of lightning continues for a much longer period than most people realize. Wait at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder before leaving the shelter.
Thunderstorms are most likely to develop on warm summer days and go through various stages of growth, development and dissipation.
During a thunderstorm, each flash of cloud-to-ground lightning is a potential killer. The determining factor on whether a particular flash could be deadly depends on whether a person is in the path of the lightning discharge. In addition to the visible flash that travels through the air, the current associated with the lightning discharge travels along the ground. Although some victims are struck directly by the main lightning strike, many victims are struck as the current moves in and along the ground.
Lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from the rain area in a thunderstorm. That’s about the distance you can hear the thunder. If you can hear thunder, you are within striking distance. Seek safe shelter immediately!
Use the 30-30 rule where visibility is good and there is nothing obstructing your view of the thunderstorm. When you see lightning, count the time until you hear thunder; if that time is 30 seconds or less, the thunderstorm is within 6 miles of you and is dangerous. Seek shelter immediately. The threat of lightning continues for a much longer period than most people realize. Wait at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder before leaving the shelter.
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