Lightning CAN strike twice – Brookings Register

By Bob Hill

Last week’s article covered thunderstorm and tornado warnings and flash flooding. This week we’ll continue to cover thunderstorms and focus on lightning.

It doesn’t have to be a severe thunderstorm to be a dangerous thunderstorm. By definition, all thunderstorms contain lightning and therefore must be taken seriously. Since it only takes one lightning strike to create a dangerous situation, most lightning-related deaths occur when people are enjoying themselves outdoors. If you hear thunder or see lightning, immediately seek shelter in an enclosed building or vehicle. Bottom line: “If it thunders, go indoors!”

National Lightning Prevention Week is June 23-29. Although the National Weather Service does not issue severe weather warnings for lightning alone, lightning is still dangerous and can be deadly.

My favorite way to teach lightning protection is to start a training session with a golf club. Lightning is attracted to tall objects such as trees, telephone poles, golfers swinging their clubs, or possibly a fisherman casting his line. Why are they suspect? Because the object they are holding in their hands is taller than the surrounding objects in the area and they can also act as a lightning rod.

Most people don’t pay attention to the details, but look around any old barn or even a house. Somewhere nearby you will find a copper wire attached to a stake driven into the ground. This is, believe it or not, a lightning rod, designed to direct a lightning strike into the ground.

If you hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. Seek shelter immediately. When inside, stay away from windows, power lines, pipes, or other materials that conduct electricity.

If you cannot reach shelter, avoid open fields, high areas, trees, or other tall objects. Lightning usually strikes higher objects in an area.

Stay away from metal conductors such as wires or fences. Although metal does not attract lightning, lightning can travel great distances.

When you’re riding in a group, spread out. While this increases the chance of someone getting hit, it can prevent multiple accidents and increase the chances that someone can help if someone is hit.

It is better to seek shelter in a vehicle with a metal roof and closed windows than to stay outside. Remember that a convertible is not a vehicle with a metal roof, and a bicycle, motorcycle or scooter are not safe in a thunderstorm either.

Do your car’s rubber tires protect you when you’re outside the car and leaning on them? No. Like trees, houses, and people, anything outdoors is at risk of being struck by lightning during thunderstorms, including cars. The good news, however, is that the outer metal shell of hard-top vehicles provides protection for occupants when the windows are closed. Unfortunately, however, the vehicle doesn’t always fare so well.

A typical cloud-to-ground lightning strike, or more specifically cloud-to-vehicle, will either strike the vehicle’s antenna or the roofline. The lightning will then penetrate the vehicle’s outer metal shell and then travel through the tires to the ground.

Although every lightning strike is different, damage to the antenna, electrical system, rear window, and tires is common. The heat from a lightning strike is enough to partially melt a vehicle’s antenna and can cause a type of small spark explosion that melts and burns tiny shards of metal. Some of the discharge can enter the vehicle’s electrical system and damage or destroy electronic components, potentially rendering the car inoperable. Lightning can also get into the small defrost wires embedded in rear windows, causing the windows to shatter. Finally, it is very common for lightning to destroy one or more tires as it penetrates through the steel bands to the ground. It is also possible for lightning to start a fire that can destroy the vehicle.

Wait 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder before returning outside.

If someone is struck by lightning, the first thing you should do is call 911.

Cardiac arrest is the immediate cause of death in the deceased. Lightning strike victims are not electrically charged and may require immediate first aid. Start CPR if you are trained to do so. You should also use an automated external defibrillator if one is available. These devices are life savers

If possible, move the victim to a safer location. Lightning CAN strike the same spot twice.

I would like to thank the NWS/NOAA for providing the information in today’s article.

Be safe out there and remember: keep your eyes on the sky.