Lightning remains one of the most deadly weather phenomena in the U.S. and it can occur almost anywhere throughout the year. Lightning kills 125 people on average each year in the United States and injures over 500. Many people are injured or killed due to misinformation or taking the wrong actions during thunderstorms. When the weather forecast calls for thundershowers or thunderstorms take it seriously.
The Weather Channel has developed an online tool called Tornado Condition or TOR:CON that you can check to see the likelihood of tornadoes or severe thunderstorms in your area. Simply click on http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index and TOR:CON will provide an estimate of the risks within 50 miles of your location on any given day.
Check out these helpful Lightning Safety Tips:
Do You Hear It?
Once you hear thunder it’s time to act. Louder or more frequent thunder indicates lightning activity is approaching. If the time delay between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder is less than 30 seconds it’s time to act.
Take Shelter
Whenever possible go inside or immediately go to a safe shelter, such as a sturdy building or a hard top automobile. If an automobile is not available, find a low spot away from trees, fences, poles and bleachers. If you are boating or swimming, get to land and find shelter immediately!
Lightning Facts
- All thunderstorms produce lightning.
- Lightning often strikes outside of heavy rain and may occur as far as 10 miles away from any rainfall.
- Most lightning occurs within the cloud or between cloud and ground.
The following item from the Insurance Information Institute explains the importance of seeking shelter from approaching storms.
Speaking of lightning storms, check out Justin Terveen‘s shot of last month’s wild lightning storm from the Dallas Observer.
