Amid the nation’s first heat wave of the summer season, lightning killed one honeymooner enjoying the beach in Florida and injured 20 others cooling off on a South Carolina lake.
More than 30 people have been injured by such strikes during the course of the past two weeks, according to AccuWeather. Some 20 people are killed by lightning each year in the U.S., and hundreds more are injured.
Most of those deaths occur in July and usually over the weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes, with the Southeast most at risk. Those who survive strikes can suffer lifelong neurological damage, such as forgetfulness and memory issues, depression, irritability, and personality changes.
The result of the build-up and discharge of static electricity in the atmosphere, a strike can heat the air it passes through to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit: a measurement that’s five times hotter than the surface of the sun.
“Lightning is a serious summertime safety risk that can injure or tragically kill people who are outdoors,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter warned.
With warmer temperatures comes an increased risk of storms that can lead to lightning strikes, and potentially related wildfires. A hotter atmosphere can hold more of the moisture needed for storm formation. So, how do you keep yourself and your loved ones safe this summer?
Be weather aware
Monitoring the weather is the best way to stay safe!
This is especially the case if you’re planning any outdoor activities. Lightning can strike up to 30 miles away from a storm, particularly from anvil clouds that are the flat top of a thunderstorm. Whereas, “cauliflower-looking” cumulonimbus clouds signal a maturing thunderstorm.
But, dangerous lightning can happen in any thunderstorm, not just severe thunderstorms. That was the case in South Carolina.
“Conditions went from quiet and calm to a small thunderstorm with multiple lightning strikes within a matter of minutes,” AccuWeather chief on-air meteorologist Bernie Rayno explained. “As quickly as this storm developed, it weakened and passed by. This was a very small thunderstorm, but it packed a lot of lightning.”
If you’re outside
There is no safe place outside when thunderstorms are in the area. If you can hear thunder, you are likely in the range of the storm.
Too many people wait too long to get to safety when thunderstorms are approaching.
People should have a lightning safety plan, including where to go and how long it will take to get there.
Avoid open fields, and hills or ridge tops. Also, stay away from tall, isolated trees and other tall objects.
If you are in a group, spread out to avoid the current traveling between group members. When lightning strikes the ground, the energy radiates outward.
Stay away from water, wet items, and any metal objects. Water and metal are excellent conductors of electricity. Fishing and swimming are some of the deadliest activities for lightning-related deaths.
Lastly, don’t do the “lightning crouch”, the old recommendation to bend over and curl up into a ball on your toes. The National Lightning Safety Council now says that it only prolongs the risk of being struck.
When you’re indoors
Being inside may not protect you from associated dangers.
When lightning strikes a home or building, it often follows the wiring or plumbing, so stay away from anything plugged into an outlet and sinks, showers, and tubs. Cell phones and cordless phones are safe, but do not touch TVs or computers. Lightning generates electric surges that can damage electronic equipment even a distance away from an actual strike.
Make sure to stay away from windows or doors. The metal components could provide a pathway for the lightning to enter the home.
Lightning can also travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.
“Stay indoors for 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder or flash of lightning, to allow the threat to pass before returning outdoors,” Porter added.
