Monsoon Safety Awareness Week: Lightning
Lightning kills more than 50 people on average every year in the United States.
“People don’t take lightning as seriously as they should,” National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Rogash.
Taking the threat seriously means staying indoors during thunderstorms. Phone lines and power cords can also transmit a strike into your home, so stay away from electrical equipment when lightning is near. Also, do not shower or take a bath during a thunderstorm because plumbing can also transmit electricity.
Vehicles are also safe shelters from lightning, but it’s not the tires that keep the danger low; it is the metal shell of the car, which channels lightning around the vehicle instead of through it.
Most lightning fatalities occur at outdoor events. The best way to stay safe from lightning if you are outside is to go indoors. If no structures are nearby, never take shelter under a tree or non-enclosed park shelter.
For more tips on outdoor safety, visit this website.
Playing sports outdoors can be especially dangerous.
“Sometimes when I’m driving and there is thunder and lightning all around I’ll see golfers continuing to play their game, and it’s like, that’s a bad idea, especially if you are wearing metal cleats,” said Rogash.
Many people remain outdoors when storms are near because they think they are safe if the storm isn’t close by.
“Lightning strikes can actually hit some distance away from where it appears the main thundercloud is,” said UTEP environmental science professor Tom Gill.
In fact, lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from the parent thunderstorm, and has even been reported up to 50 miles away in rare cases.
Another hazard associated with thunderstorms in the monsoon season is dry lightning, which can spark wildfires.
Dry lightning is a term used for lightning that strikes from a thunderstorm that contains very little rain.
“The lightning strikes and starts a fire. The wind blows the fire and causes it to become worse but there is no rain to put it out,” said Rogash.
Just one strike can start a fire that can burn through thousands of acres of land, as well as destroy homes and businesses.
The monsoon season typically begins around June 15 and lasts through the end of September.
