At one point or another we have all heard the ominous boom of thunder in the distance or seen streaks of lighting fan out across the sky. While it is indeed beautiful, it can also be dangerous. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) an average of 55 people are killed each year due to lightning strikes. So what can you do this summer to keep you and your family safe?
First it is important to know what lightning is and how it forms. Picture this: it’s a dry winter’s day. You are padding around your house in comfy wool socks. Suddenly your doorbell rings so you walk over to the metal doorknob to open the door and zap! You get shocked. Lightning works in exactly the same way. The top of the cloud as well as objects on Earth generally have a positive charge. The bottom of a thunderstorm cloud typically houses negative charges. The negative ions are attracted to the positive ions and the result is what you see as lightning. In the doorknob scenario, the door knob has positive ions while your hand has negative ions from the electrons you picked up while shuffling around in your wooly socks.
Lightning is extremely hot. According to the Severe Storms Laboratories, lightning can reach temperatures exceeding 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit upwards to 60,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Since lightning occurs in a split second it heats the surrounding air just as rapidly. This quick expansion of air causes what we hear as thunder. The delay between lightning and thunder is due to the difference in the speed of sound versus the speed of light. Light travels faster than sound so we see the flash first and then hear the thunder. You can tell how far away a storm is by counting the seconds between the flash of lightning and the boom of thunder. Take the number of seconds you counted and divide that by 5 to get an estimated distance in miles.
Never stand under a tree or any other tall object. Lightning will take the easiest path towards the positive ions so you do not want to be the tallest thing around. If you are caught outside seek shelter immediately. If no shelter is immediately available and you have no choice but to stay outside, assume the lightning safety position. Start by squatting to the ground and rest on the balls of your feet. Cover your ears and keep your head down. Never lie flat on the ground; this will allow the electric current do more damage. If your hair begins to stand on end and you are in the vicinity of a lightning storm, immediately assume the lightning safety position. This is a sign that lighting is about to strike extremely close to you.
So this summer while you are out enjoying the warmer temperatures, be aware of changing weather. The summer heat is notorious for producing pop-up storms that have little to no advanced warning. Stay alert and exercise these safety precautions when a thunderstorm is headed your way so that you can protect yourself and your family.