National Weather Service offices serving New Mexico will conduct their annual Flash Flood and Lightning Awareness Week during the week of June 22-28, 2008.National Lightning Safety Awareness Week will be conducted the same week.
Despite our desert environment, storm statistics show that New Mexico continues to rank high in fatalities and injuries from both lightning and flash floods. For example, in 2006, four injuries due to lightning were reported in New Mexico, and three fatalities occurred in flash flooding events.
We urge all residents and visitors to become familiar with the hazards of flash floods and lightning, and to take the time to review safety rules that could save your life or help prevent serious injury. Community governments and businesses should review their emergency action preparedness plans and are urged to conduct drills to train staff and employees in flash flood procedures.
Additional information, plus help in preparedness planning or media interviews are available by contacting the Warning Coordination Meteorologist in your area (see below), or by sending us an e-mail.
Northern and Central NM
(NWS Albuquerque)
Jesus Haro
(505)-244-9150 Ext. 223
Southcentral and Southwest NM
(NWS El Paso)
John Fausett
(505) 589-4088 Ext. 223
Southeastern NM
(NWS Midland)
Pat Vesper
(432) 563-5901 Ext. 223
Lightning is the MOST UNDERRATED weather hazard. On average, only floods kill more people. Lightning makes every single thunderstorm a potential killer, whether the storm produces one single bolt or ten thousand bolts.
In the United States, lightning routinely kills more people each year than tornadoes and hurricanes COMBINED. Tornadoes, hail, and wind gusts get the most attention, but only lightning can strike well outside the storm itself. Lightning is usually the first thunderstorm hazard to arrive and the last to leave.
Lightning is an unpredictable characteristic of a thunderstorm - no one can guarantee an individual or group absolute protection from lightning. However, knowing and following proven lightning safety guidelines can greatly reduce the risk of injury or death. Remember, YOU are ultimately responsible for your own personal safety, and should take appropriate action when threatened by lightning.
While no place is 100% safe from lightning, some places are much safer than others.
Where to Go
Where NOT to Go
The safest location during a thunderstorm is inside a large enclosed structure with plumbing and electrical wiring. These include shopping centers, schools, office buildings, and private residences.
If lightning strikes the building, the plumbing and wiring will conduct the electricity more efficiently than a human body. If no buildings are available, then an enclosed metal vehicle such as an automobile, van, or school bus makes a decent alternative.
Not all types of buildings or vehicles are safe during thunderstorms. Buildings which are NOT SAFE (even if they are "grounded") have exposed openings. These include beach shacks, metal sheds, picnic shelters/pavilions, carports, and baseball dugouts. Porches are dangerous as well.
Convertible vehicles offer no safety from lightning, even if the top is "up". Other vehicles which are NOT SAFE during lightning storms are those which have open cabs, such as golf carts, tractors, and construction equipment.
What To Do
What NOT to Do
Once inside a sturdy building, stay away from electrical appliances and plumbing fixtures. As an added safety measure, stay in an interior room.
If you are inside a vehicle, roll the windows up, and avoid contact with any conducting paths leading to the outside of the vehicle (e.g. radios, CB's, ignition, etc.).
Lightning can travel great distances through power lines, especially in rural areas. Do not use electrical appliances, ESPECIALLY corded telephones unless it is an emergency (cordless and cell phones are safe to use).
Computers are also dangerous as they usually are connected to both phone and electrical cords. Do not take a shower or bath or use a hot tub.
Lightning Safety Plan
A lightning safety plan should be an integral part of the planning process for any outdoor event. Do not wait for storm clouds to develop before considering what to do should lightning threaten! An effective plan begins LONG before any lightning threat is realized. You can't control the weather, so you have to work around it!
Detailed weather forecasts are accurate only out to seven days at best, but outdoor events often are planned many months in advance. Because of this limitation, every outdoor event coordinator should consider the possibility of lightning, especially if the event is scheduled during the late spring to early autumn months.
The key to an effective lightning safety action plan lies in your answers to the following questions:
Where is the safest lightning shelter?
How far am I (or the group I am responsible for) from that location?
How long will it take me (or my group) to get there?
Knowing the answers to these questions will greatly reduce your chances of being struck by lightning, provided you know them BEFORE thunderstorms threaten!
The 30/30 rule Any lightning safety plan should incorporate the 30/30 Rule. The 30/30 Rule states that people should seek shelter if the "Flash-To-Bang" delay (length of time in seconds between a lightning flash and its subsequent thunder), is 30 seconds or less, and that they remain under cover until 30 minutes after the final clap of thunder.
A 30 second lead time is necessary prior to a storm's arrival because of the possibility of distant strikes. A 30 minute wait after the last thunder is heard is necessary because the trailing storm clouds still carry a lingering charge. This charge can and does occasionally produce lightning on the back edge of a storm, several minutes after the rain has ended.
Studies have shown most people struck by lightning are struck not at the height of a thunderstorm, but before and after the storm has peaked. This shows many people are unaware of how far lightning can strike from its parent thunderstorm. DO NOT wait for the rain to start before seeking shelter, and do not leave shelter just because the rain has ended.
Carry a NOAA weather radio (found at most electronics stores) or a portable radio with you. This way you will always be able to get the latest forecast. At the very least, the reception of an AM radio will have static created by lightning. So if you hear the static, keep an eye to the sky as a thunderstorm may be nearby.
Lightning - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a thundershower and a thunderstorm?
Technically, there is none. In general, the term "thundershower" tends to denote a fairly weak storm with light to moderate rainfall and low levels of lightning activity. However, there are no defined parameters that distinguish between a thundershower and a thunderstorm. In fact, in order to avoid confusion, we in the National Weather Service do not use the term "thundershower". If a rain shower is strong enough to produce lightning, even just one single bolt, it's called a thunderstorm.
What are my chances of being struck by lightning?
This is a seemingly simple question, but there is no single answer that fits everyone. The average annual per capita strike rate in the United States is around 1 in 600,000. However, this DOES NOT mean your odds of being struck are 1 in 600,000. The odds of being struck vary from person to person because they depend on several factors. The most significant are:
Geographical location and climatology
Diurnal and annual climatology
Personal lifestyle/hobbies
Where there is a lot of lightning, there is an increased chance of being struck. The central Florida peninsula from Tampa Bay to Cape Canaveral has the highest lightning concentration in the United States. More than 90% of the lightning in this area occurs between May and October, between the hours of noon and midnight.
During this time of day and year, people in Central Florida who spend a large portion of their lives outdoors (e.g. construction workers, park rangers, golfers, campers etc.) are more likely to be struck than anywhere else in the country.
On the other hand, thunderstorms are uncommon in the Pacific northwest, and are virtually unheard of during the winter months. People in this region who spend much of their lives indoors (e.g. shopkeepers, librarians, bowlers, billiard players, etc.) might win the lottery before they were struck by lightning. It is impossible to assign one single probability to every person.
What should I do if I'm caught out in the open during a thunderstorm and no shelter is nearby?
There are NO SAFE PLACES outdoors during a lightning storm. To minimize your chance of being struck, crouch down on the balls of your feet (a position known as "The Lightning Crouch") and cover your ears. The Lightning Crouch will minimize your chances of being struck, but it WILL NOT guarantee your safety.
Shouldn't I lie flat on the ground to get as low as possible?
NO! Lying flat on the ground was once thought to be the best course of action, but this advice is now decades out of date. When lightning strikes the earth, it induces currents in the ground that can be fatal up to 100 feet away. These currents fan out from the strike center in a tendril pattern, so in order to minimize your chance of being struck, you have to minimize BOTH your height AND your body's contact with the earth's surface.
How do I avoid having to use the Lightning Crouch?
Be aware of your situation and PLAN AHEAD. If you going to be involved in an outdoor activity, make sure you know what the forecast is, ESPECIALLY if you live in a lightning prone area. If storms are forecast, have a plan of action that you can enact quickly to reduce your chances of being struck.
Does lightning travel from the cloud to the ground, or from the ground to the cloud?
An entire lightning strike employs both upward and downward moving forces. However, the return stroke of a lightning bolt travels FROM THE GROUND INTO THE CLOUD and accounts for more that 99% of the luminosity of a lightning strike. What we SEE as lightning does indeed travel from the ground into the cloud.
If lightning travels from the ground into the cloud, why do photographs show branches of lightning descending from the cloud?
In photographs, it may APPEAR that lightning is descending from the cloud to the ground, but in reality, the return stroke is so brilliant that as it travels up the strike channel, it illuminates all of the branches of the stepped leader that did not connect with a streamer.
How far can lightning strike?
Almost all lightning will occur within 10 miles of its parent thunderstorm, but it CAN strike much farther than that. Lightning detection equipment has confirmed bolts striking almost 50 miles away, but these are very rare.
Can lightning strike me while I'm indoors?
YES! If a bolt strikes your house or a nearby power line, it CAN travel into your house through the plumbing or the electric wiring! If you are using any electrical appliances or plumbing fixtures (INCLUDING telephones and computers), and a storm is overhead, you are putting yourself at risk! FACT: About 4-5% of people struck by lightning are struck while talking on a corded telephone.
Can I use my cell phone or cordless phone during a storm?
Yes. These are safe to use because there is no direct path between you and the lightning. Avoid using a corded telephone unless it's an emergency.
Can I be struck by lightning if I wear rubber soled shoes?
Absolutely! While rubber is an electric insulator, it's only effective to a certain point. The average lightning bolt carries about 30,000 amps of charge, has 100 million volts of electric potential, and is about 50,000°F. These amounts are several orders of magnitude HIGHER than what humans use on a daily basis and can burn through ANY insulator (even the ceramic insulators on power lines!) Besides, the lightning bolt may just have traveled many miles through the atmosphere, which is a good insulator. Your ½" (or less) of rubber will make no difference.
I have a boat with a tall mast. How can I protect myself from lightning?
Install a lightning protection system and make sure your insurance covers lightning damage. Lightning tends to strike the tallest object and boats on the open water fit this profile to a tee. Lightning protection systems WILL NOT prevent your boat from being struck, but they can help minimize the damage.
I have a lightning rod on my house. Am I safe from lightning?
Lightning rods will not prevent your building from being struck. They actually INCREASE it by making your house TALLER. The purpose of the lightning rod is to direct the current from the lightning to the ground along a preferred path instead of to the house. However, this works only if the rod is connected to the ground with heavy gauge wire.
Should I install a lightning protection system on my home or business?
It depends. Do you have electrically sensitive equipment and do you think your building may be struck? Contrary to some popular beliefs, lightning protection systems DO NOT prevent lightning. Instead, they actually bank on the assumption that your building will be struck. They help mitigate damage by giving they lightning a preferred pathway into the ground, not unlike a flood spillway system.
National Weather Service
Albuquerque Weather Forecast Office
2341 Clark Carr LP SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
Ph: 505.243.0702
Web Master's Email: ABQ Webmaster
Page Author: WFO Albuquerque, NM
Date modified:
www.srh.weather.gov 
National
Weather Service Weather Forecast Office
A lightning safety plan should be an integral part of the planning process for any outdoor event. Do not wait for storm clouds to develop before considering what to do should lightning threaten! An effective plan begins LONG before any lightning threat is realized. You can't control the weather, so you have to work around it!
Any lightning safety plan should incorporate the 30/30 Rule. The 30/30 Rule states that people should seek shelter if the "Flash-To-Bang" delay (length of time in seconds between a lightning flash and its subsequent thunder), is 30 seconds or less, and that they remain under cover until 30 minutes after the final clap of thunder.
What are my chances of being struck by lightning?
What should I do if I'm caught out in the open during a thunderstorm and no shelter is nearby?
Shouldn't I lie flat on the ground to get as low as possible?
How far can lightning strike?
Can I be struck by lightning if I wear rubber soled shoes?
I have a lightning rod on my house. Am I safe from lightning?
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