![]() This is because light can travel farther than sound, so the sound of the thunder dissipates before it reaches the observer.In 2022, India witnessed a record number of deaths caused by lightning. In fact, it is an actual thunderstorm that is so far away that a person can see the lightning from it, but not hear the thunder. Heat lightning is not the result of a very hot day at a particular location. So again, stay inside during a thunderstorm.įinally, we get a lot of questions about what exactly is heat lightning. Unfortunately, lightning also kills about 2000 people every year.Florida is the leading state averaging 1.4 million strikes each year.The United States averages about 22 million lightning strikes per year.Lightning flashes about 3 million times a day around the world or 40 times a second.That's five times hotter than the surface of the sun. The temperature of a lightning bolt is 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit.Cars with hard top roofs do provide safety because the electricity from the lightning will go around the metal frame into the ground therefore, do not lean against car doors during a thunderstorm. Keep in mind, baseball dugouts (or similar shelters), highway overpasses, and bodies of water do not protect you from lightning. ![]() If you absolutely cannot find a shelter, stay away from hills, trees (especially isolated ones), poles and fence rows. There is NO safe place outside in a thunderstorm. If you are outdoors, keep moving to find a safe shelter. The most interior room on the lowest level of a house is the safest place (ex. Also, do not lie on concrete floors or lean on concrete walls. Stay away from windows, doors, porches, and even the garage. Also, avoid contact with water such as taking a shower, washing dishes, or doing laundry. When inside, avoid electrical equipment and plumbing. So, how do you protect yourself from lightning? Indoors is the safest place during a thunderstorm. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors. If you hear thunder, then you are close enough to get struck by lightning. But, one should never mess around with lightning. The result is the distance to the lightning strike. If you what to estimate lightning distance do this: when you see a flash, count the number of seconds until you hear thunder and divide by 5. ![]() If you see an approaching thunderstorm, be aware that a storm only needs to be within 10 to 15 miles before lightning becomes dangerous. This occurs when charges formed from the cloud find a channel through the air and to the ground. The most harmful of the four of course is the cloud to ground type. There are four types of lightning: cloud to ground, cloud to cloud, intra cloud, and cloud to air. Once this charge separation occurs, lightning is able to form. Negative and positive charges are created and then separated at opposite ends of the clouds as a result of updrafts and downdrafts moving raindrops and hailstones. Within a thunderstorm, there are many moving parts. So, let's review some safety tips.īefore we dive into lightning safety, we first need to understand how lightning develops. It is very localized and difficult to predict just where and when lightning will occur during any given storm. Lightning, for instance, is particularly dangerous. Meteorologists have a general idea of where and when thunderstorms will occur on a given day, but it's the localized impacts of a storm that make them tough to forecast. But with the hustle and bustle of summertime fun, we can't forget about the dangers that come with thunderstorms. As the seasons change from spring to summer, more people start to spend longer time outdoors. ![]()
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