Remember Lightning Safety When You're Outside This Summer

With summer officially beginning this week, the National Weather Service has made this week "Lightning Safety Awareness Week."  Lightning is an amazing, but dangerous phenomenon that kills an average of 55 people per year in the United States and permanently injures hundreds of others.  In the last 50 years, 128 people have been killed by lightning in Pennsylvania.  So far this year, five people have been killed in the United States due to lightning, including a 13-year-old boy from Lancaster County.  The National Weather Service compiles all of the deaths due to lightning and lists what people were doing when they were struck, which is valuable because it shows you what not to do when lightning strikes.  That information is available here: http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/statistics.htm

So, keep these tips in mind when thunderstorms strike:

• When you hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning.  Lightning can strike out several miles from a thunderstorm.  Since you can hear thunder from lightning that hits several miles away, thunder is a good indicator that lightning is close.  When you hear that thunder, it's time to find shelter inside a building or a vehicle.
• Wait 30 minutes after you hear the last clap of thunder before you go outside.  There have been many incidents of people being struck by lightning minutes after the thunder seemingly stopped.  Even in the minutes after a storm ends, there still could be a rogue strike of lightning behind the storm.  Waiting 30 minutes after the last thunder eliminates that risk.
• No place outside is safe during a thunderstorm.  If you are caught outside in a thunderstorm and there is no safe shelter available within close range, go to the lowest elevation possible and crouch down, minimizing your contact with the ground.  Do not lie flat on the ground.  Also, DO NOT seek shelter under trees and stay away from objects that conduct electricity, such as light poles and power lines.
• Remember that you are NOT immune from lightning inside your house.  Lightning can travel through power lines, phone lines and water pipes and could electrocute you inside your home.  To avoid this risk, do not use showers, bathtubs or sinks.  Stay off of corded phones, computers and other objects that put you in direct contact with electricity.  Not only does it keep you safe, but it keeps your electronics safe.  Lightning strikes can damage electronics, and surge protectors do not protect your electronics from lightning strikes.

If you are going to be outside this summer, make sure you check the forecast beforehand to find out the likelihood of thunderstorms.  Remember that you can get the latest radar on your mobile phone right here on WeAreCentralPA.com and find out where the storms are at that moment.  If you can't do that, watch the sky throughout the day.  If you see billowing, dark clouds around, start to listen for thunder.  If you hear that thunder, it's time to head inside.

Stay safe out there this summer!

--Meteorologist Brian Thompson