June 21-27 is National Lightning Safety Awareness Week.
This special week started in 2001 to call attention to lightning as an underrated killer. Since then, U.S. lightning fatalities have dropped from about 55 per year to less than 30. This reduction in lightning fatalities is largely due to the greater awareness of lightning danger and people seeking safety when thunderstorms threaten.
During Lightning Safety Awareness Week, you are encouraged to learn more about lightning and lightning safety.
While the National Weather Service does not issue severe thunderstorm warnings for lightning alone, it is still dangerous and can be deadly.
It doesn’t take a severe thunderstorm to be a dangerous thunderstorm. By definition, every thunderstorm produces lightning and needs to be taken seriously. It only takes one lightning strike to become a hazardous situation, most lightning-related deaths occur when people are having fun outside. If you hear thunder or see lightning, immediately seek shelter in an enclosed building or vehicle. “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!”
Pay attention
My favorite way to teach lightning safety is to start a training session by using a golf club. Lightning is attracted by tall things such as trees, telephone poles, golfers as they are swinging their clubs, or possibly an angler as they are casting. Why are they susceptible? Because the raised object acts as a makeshift lightning rod, inviting a deadly strike.
Most people do not pay attention to the details, but look at an old barn sometime, or even a house. Somewhere around it, you will find a copper wire attached to a rod that has been pounded into the ground. That, believe it or not, is a lightning rod designed to direct a lightning strike into the ground.
Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. Seek shelter immediately. Once inside, stay away from windows, electrical lines, plumbing, or any other material that conducts electricity. If you cannot reach a shelter, avoid open fields, high areas, trees, or other tall objects. Lightning tends to strike taller objects in an area.
• Stay away from metal conductors such as wires or fences. Metal does not attract lightning, but lightning can travel long distances through it.
• If you are caught outdoors with a group of people during a thunderstorm, spread out. While this may increase the chance that someone might get struck, it tends to prevent multiple casualties and increases the chances that someone could help if a person is struck.
• Seeking shelter in a metal-topped vehicle with the windows closed is better than remaining outdoors. Unsafe vehicles: Convertibles (even with the top up), bicycles, motorcycles, and scooters do not protect you.
Lightning and vehicles
Do the rubber tires on your car protect you if you are outside the car and you’re leaning on it? No! Anything outside is at risk of being struck by lightning when thunderstorms are in the area, including cars.
A cloud-to-vehicle lightning strike typically hits the antenna or roofline, channeling millions of volts through the metal shell and out into the ground. The outer metal frame acts as a Faraday cage, diverting the electrical charge around the cabin and into the ground. While this frame protects the occupants, the massive electrical surge frequently damages a vehicle’s electrical system, melts tires and shatters windows.
The heat from a lightning strike is sufficient to partially melt the antenna of a vehicle and can cause what seems like a small explosion of sparks as tiny fragments of metal melt and burn. A portion of the discharge may find its way into the vehicle’s electrical system and may damage or destroy electronic components, potentially leaving the car inoperable. The lightning may also find its way into the small defrosting wires that are embedded in rear windows, causing the windows to shatter. Finally, it’s very common for lightning to destroy one or more tires as it passes through the steel belts to the ground. It’s also possible for lightning to ignite a fire, which could destroy the vehicle.
Wait 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder before returning to the outdoors because lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from the main storm center.
Helping a victim
• If someone is struck by lightning, the first thing you need to do is call for help. Call 9-1-1.
• Don’t be a victim. If possible, move the victim to a safer place, Lightning can strike the same place twice.
• Cardiac arrest is the immediate cause of death for those who die. Lightning victims do not carry an electrical charge and may need first aid immediately. Check for breathing: if the person is unconscious, check for breathing and a pulse. If they are in cardiac arrest (no breathing or pulse), begin CPR if you are trained. You should also use an automatic external defibrillator if one is available. These units are lifesavers!
• I want to thank the NWS/NOAA for providing the information in today’s article.
Be safe out there and remember, keep an eye on the sky.
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