lightning
LIGHTNING:
A Potentially Deadly Strike With Each Flash
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![](file:///N|/HTML/external_new/images/COElgt.jpg)
A strike spotted
on Lake Coeur d'Alene.
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For Release: June 19,
2005
Contact: Ken Holmes, National Weather Service Spokane, WA (509) 244-0110 ext
223
Every year lightning kills
approximately 70 people and injures another 300. In the United States, there
are an estimated 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning flashes each year, and
a recent storm system over the Ark-La-Tex region produced 17,000 strikes within
one hour!
There are two very easy
things to remember when it comes to lightning safety:
1. If you see a storm coming
your way, stop what you are doing and go inside, or into a vehicle if a building
is not available.
2. When you hear thunder within 30 seconds of a lightning strike, you are close
enough to be hit. The thunderstorm is within 6 miles of you. Once inside, wait
until 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder before going outside again.
This is known as the 30-30 Rule.
Outdoor Safety: Most lightning
deaths and injuries in the United States occur during the summer months when
the combination of lightning and outdoor summertime activities reaches a peak.
During the summer, people take advantage of the warm weather to enjoy a multitude
of outdoor recreational activities. Unfortunately, those outdoor recreational
activities can put them at greater risk of being struck by lightning. People
involved in activities such as farming, boating, swimming, fishing, bicycling,
golfing, jogging, walking, hiking, camping, or working out of doors all need
to take the appropriate actions in a timely manner when thunderstorms approach.
Where organized sports activities take place, coaches,
umpires, referees, or camp counselors must protect the safety of the participants
by stopping the activities sooner, so that the participants and spectators can
get to a safe place before the lightning threat becomes significant.
To reduce the threat of death or injury, those in charge of organized outdoor
activities should develop and follow a plan to keep participants and spectators
safe from lightning.
Indoor Safety: There are
three main ways lightning enters homes and buildings:
1. a direct strike,
2. through wires or pipes that extend outside the structure, and
3. through the ground.
Regardless of the method of entrance, once in a structure, the lightning can
travel through the electrical, phone, plumbing, and radio/television reception
systems. Lightning can also travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete
walls or flooring.
Phone use is the leading
cause of indoor lightning injuries in the United States. Lightning can travel
long distances in both phone and electrical wires, particularly in rural areas.
Stay away from windows and doors as these can provide the path for a direct
strike to enter a home. Do not lie on the concrete floor of a garage as it likely
contains a wire mesh. In general, basements are a safe place to go during thunderstorms.
However, there are some things to keep in mind. Avoid contact with concrete
walls which may contain metal reinforcing bars. Avoid washers and dryers since
they not only have contacts with the plumbing and electrical systems, but also
contain an electrical path to the outside through the dryer vent.
Lightning also causes significant
damage to personal property each year. In addition to direct strikes, lightning
generates electrical surges that can damage electronic equipment some distance
from the actual strike. Typical surge protectors will NOT protect equipment
from a lightning strike. To the extent possible, unplug any appliances or electronic
equipment from all conductors well before a thunderstorm threatens. This includes
not only the electrical system, but also the reception system. If you plan to
be away from your home when thunderstorms are possible, be sure to unplug unneeded
equipment before you leave.
For more information
on lightning safety, the National Weather Service has partnered with many different
groups and agencies to create the National Lightning Safety web site. It is
at: www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov.
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