Don’t Mess with Lightning

Our relatively stormy springtime weather has given us plenty of opportunity to see lightning and hear thunder.  More often than not, frequent lightning will be the most dangerous part of any thunderstorm that rolls through.  And that lightning can be deadly.

There has been a rash of lightning related fatalities across the country over the past week, and some near misses.  One teenager in Oregon was playing basketball indoors, heard thunder, and went outside to see what was going on…at which point he was struck by lightning.  He survived, but this story could just as easily have been a lot worse.

What he did was the last thing you’re supposed to do; when you hear thunder, go indoors, not outside!  The general rule is that if you’re close enough to a storm to hear thunder, you’re within the storm’s “strike zone” and need to get indoors immediately.  Something called the “30-30 rule” is a good guideline to use:  head inside if you hear thunder within 30 seconds of seeing lightning; it’s safe to go back outside 30 minutes after you hear the last rumble of thunder.

For more on lightning safety, click here for tips from the National Lightning Safety Institute.