When a storm hits accompanied by lightning, anyone outdoors should immediately seek safe shelter, avoiding bodies of water and tall trees.
Chris Vagasky, a meteorologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, suggests regularly checking weather forecasts and reconsidering outdoor plans if a storm is approaching, especially if the destination is near water. Beaches are particularly dangerous because lightning tends to strike the tallest objects, and water is a good conductor of electricity, so do not stay in the water during a storm. Vagasky also emphasizes that there is no safe place outdoors during a storm. Therefore, when a storm approaches, seek shelter indoors. If you see clouds building, hear thunder, or see lightning, quickly move to a safe location.
Lightning strikes in Sarasota Bay, Florida. (Photo: Damon Powers).
Two safe places during a storm are sturdy buildings or vehicles with a metal shell. Structures like houses, stores, offices, or other buildings with four walls and a roof, where electrical wiring and plumbing are protected within the walls, are safe. If lightning strikes a structure or nearby, the electrical charge can travel through the walls. In contrast, tents or garden sheds are not safe places.
If someone is inside a metal-shell vehicle during a storm and lightning strikes, the electricity will travel through the metal shell. Therefore, golf carts and convertibles are not safe if lightning occurs. According to Vagasky, stay away from trees, especially tall and isolated ones. If someone is struck by lightning, call emergency services and provide immediate first aid. About 90% of lightning strike victims survive, but they need immediate medical attention.
As the weather warms up, people spend more time outdoors. However, summer is also storm season. Each year in the United States, lightning strikes approximately 37 million times, killing an average of 21 people, and there are only a few days without lightning nationwide. Due to a lack of understanding about the largest electrical discharge in nature, many people face unnecessary risks when storms approach, according to Popular Science.
Lightning is a massive electrical discharge in the atmosphere, classified based on whether it strikes the ground or not. Cloud-to-cloud lightning is any discharge that does not strike the ground, while cloud-to-ground lightning or ground-to-cloud lightning strikes an object on the ground. Cloud-to-ground lightning accounts for only 10-50% of strikes during a storm but can cause significant damage, including fires, fatalities, and injuries, so it’s essential to be aware of where lightning strikes.
Lightning occurs when rain, ice crystals, and a type of hail collide within a thunderstorm. When these particles collide, they exchange electrons, creating an electrical charge within the cloud. Because most of the electrical charge resides in the cloud, most lightning occurs between clouds. When the electrical charge in the cloud becomes very strong, it can cause a charge of opposite polarity to accumulate on the ground, leading to lightning strikes from the cloud to the ground. Researchers still do not fully understand what triggers lightning strikes.
Lightning can occur at any time when conditions for storm formation exist, such as humidity, atmospheric instability, and rising air. Lightning is seasonally concentrated. Most lightning in the U.S. occurs in June, July, or August. Over 60% of the annual lightning strikes happen during those three months. Lightning is less common in winter but can still occur (accounting for about 2% of annual strikes). Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Mississippi are among the top states in the U.S. for total lightning strikes.
