What to do if it is lightning and thundering?

Question

What to do if it is lightning and thundering?

Answer 1

Flash To Bang"

"Flash to bang" is a way to measure how far away the lightning strike was. The sound of thunder can go one mile in five seconds. So if you see the lightning strike and hear the thunder ten seconds ten seconds later, you know the lightning was two miles away. Scientists say that if you are less than six miles away, you are in the high danger zone. Scientists know that lightning can strike several miles away from a storm cloud.

What is a Thunderstorm?

A thunderstorm is formed from a combination of moisture, rapidly rising warm air and a force capable of lifting air such as a warm and cold front, a sea breeze or a mountain. All thunderstorms contain lightning. Thunderstorms may occur singly, in clusters or in lines. Thus, it is possible for several thunderstorms to affect one location in the course of a few hours. Some of the most severe weather occurs when a single thunderstorm affects one location for an extended time. Some thunderstorms can be seen approaching, while others hit without warning. It is important to learn and recognize the danger signs and to plan ahead. Learn the thunderstorm danger signs. Dark, towering, or threatening clouds. Distant lightning and thunder. Because light travels much faster than sound, lightning flashes can be seen long before the resulting thunder is heard. Estimate the number of miles you are from a thunderstorm by counting the number of seconds between a flash of lightning and the next clap of thunder. Divide this number by five. You are in danger from lightning if you can hear thunder. Knowing how far away a storm is does not mean that you are in danger only when the storm is overhead.

A severe thunderstorm watch is issued when the weather conditions are such that a severe thunderstorm (damaging winds 58 miles per hour or more, or hail three-fourths of an inch in diameter or greater) is likely to develop.  This is the time to locate a safe place in the home and tell family members to watch the sky and listen to the radio or television for more information and wait for the "all clear" by the authorities.

Tornadoes are spawned by thunderstorms and flash flooding can occur with thunderstorms. When a "severe thunderstorm warning" is issued, review

what actions to take under a "tornado warning" or a "flash flood warning." Develop an emergency communication plan in case family members are separated from one another during a thunderstorm. Please be aware of hail. Hail is produced by many strong thunderstorms. Hail can be smaller than a pea or as large as a softball and can be very destructive to plants and crops. In a hailstorm, take cover immediately. Pets and livestock are particularly vulnerable to hail, so bring animals into a shelter.

What is Lightning?

Lightning is an electrical discharge that results from the buildup of positive and negative charges within a thunderstorm. When the buildup becomes strong enough, lightning appears as a "bolt." This flash of light usually occurs within the clouds or between the clouds and the ground. A bolt of lightning reaches a temperature approaching 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit in a split second. The rapid heating and cooling of air near the lightning causes thunder. Thunderstorms can bring heavy rains (which can cause flash flooding), strong winds, hail, lightning and tornadoes. In a severe thunderstorm get inside a sturdy building and stay tuned to a battery-operated radio for weather information. Lightning is a major

threat during a thunderstorm.  

Precautions to Be Taken During Thunderstorms and Lightning

Have disaster supplies on hand. Consult the Disaster Supplies Kit page. Other precautions:

vCheck for hazards in the yard. Dead or rotting trees and branches can fall during a severe thunderstorm and cause injury and damage.

v Make sure that all family members know how to respond after a thunderstorm.

v Teach family members how and when to turn off gas, electricity and water.

v Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1, police, fire department, and which radio station to tune for emergency information.  



What to Do During a Thunderstorm

If caught indoors:

v Secure outdoor objects such as lawn furniture that could blow away or cause damage or injury. Take light objects inside. Shutter windows securely and brace outside doors.

v Listen to a battery operated radio or television for the latest storm information.

v Do not handle any electrical equipment or telephones because lightning could follow the wire. Television sets are particularly dangerous at this time.

vAvoid bathtubs, water faucets, and sinks because metal pipes can transmit electricity.

If caught outdoors: Attempt to get into a building or car. If no structure is available, get to an open space an squat low to the ground as quickly as possible.

If in the woods:

v Find an area protected by low clump of trees - never stand underneath a single large

tree in the open.

v It is a myth that lightning never strikes twice in the same place. In fact, lightning will strike several times in the same place in the course of one discharge.

v Be aware of the potential for flooding in low-lying areas.

v Crouch with hands on knees.

v Avoid tall structures such as towers, tall trees, fences, telephone lines, or power lines

v Stay away from natural lightning rods such as golf clubs, tractors, fishing rods, bicycles, or camping equipment

v Stay away from rivers, lakes, or other bodies of water. If you are isolated in a level field or prairie and you feel your hair stand on end (which indicates that lightning is about to strike), bend forward, putting your hands on your knees. A position with feet together and crouching while removing all metal objects is recommended. Do not lie flat on the ground.

If caught in a car:

v Pull safely onto the shoulder of the road away from any trees that could fall on the vehicle. Stay in the car and turn on the emergency flashers until the heavy rains subside. Avoid flooded roadways.

v Drive only if necessary. Debris and washed-out roads may make driving dangerous.

What to Do When Lightning Strikes a Person

Check for injuries. A person who has been struck by lightning does not carry an electrical charge that can shock other people. If the victim is burned, provide first aid and call emergency medical assistance immediately. Look for burns where lightning entered and exited the body. If the strike cause the victim's heart and breathing to stop, give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until medical professionals arrive and take over.

Remember to help your neighbors who may require special assistance--infants, elderly people, and people with disabilities. Report downed utility wires.

Answer 2

go indoors

Answer 3

Use the 30-second "flash to bang" rule.

I learned it quite well when I saw that the sun is out after a passing thunderstorm, thinking that the storm was over, and then, even without seeing lightning, I heard still a very loud thunderclap 24 minutes after the last rain fell.

I realized that the thunderclaps came from "bolts from the blue" lightning.

"Bolts from the blue" lightning strikes occur when cloud-to-ground lightning strikes hit as far as 10 miles away from the thunderhead or cumulonimbus cloud. That is, lightning from the storm cloud goes a very long way out and hits its target far, far away (as far as 10 miles away, as I mentioned)...like a tree, or antenna, or church steeple, or, unfortunately, us!!!

Therefore, the "flash to bang" rule is quite simple.

When you see thunderheads approaching, and see the first flash of lightning, count the seconds from the first flash of lightning to the loud sound of thunder.

Sound waves travel about 1100 feet per second, so if there is 5 seconds between the flash and the thunder, the storm is about 1 mile away. The "flash to bang" rule states that if there is 30 seconds or less before you hear the thunder after the lightning flash, which is about 6 miles or less, you better head towards safe shelter....before lightning strikes you. This is the first part of the 30-second flash to bang rule.

The last part of the "flash to bang" rule is that you must stay within a safe shelter 30 minutes after hearing the last sound of thunder, to prevent or reduce the risk of "bolt of the blue" lightning hits...the "surprise" lightning that you may experience even if you think the thunderstorm is over.

Stay away from lone trees, and other things that are likely standing high away from lower objects, such as, you probably know, tops of hills, flagpoles, utility poles. These are likely targets of lightning.

The high risk of cloud-to-ground lightning creating a "ricochet flash" that bounces off the main bolt of the lightning on even lower exposed outdoor objects means that you also need to stay away from all smaller outdoor structures, especially those not permanently fixed. That is, stay away from dugouts, gazebos, lone tents, wire fences, and other temporary outdoor structures.

Stay away from all fixed bodies of water....such as beaches or swimming pools. Also stay away from large puddles that often come from flooding until the storm is over. If you are in the water, and lightning hits the water, you will be electrocuted with as much as 150,000-500,000 volts coming from the lightning as it charges the water with deadly amounts of electricity. Remember the phrase "water and electricity don't mix?"

Best to stay in a school bus, or car or other vehicle with a steel structure so when lightning hits the area, because the steel structures in such things will channel the lightning in a way that it won't create an explosion or worse....even if the lightning creates 160 decibels from the closest thunderclap you will experience if you ever get struck by lightning.

If you feel your hair stand up on end before a storm, there is a 50 percent-70 percent chance that you will be struck by lightning, so the best bet is to bend on your knees, don't let the hands touch the ground, and cover your ears as you bend your arms. That way you won't have a good chance of being struck directly or be struck by a side flash from the ground that could hit you from behind or to the side. Covering your ears will protect you also from the extremely deafening sound of the thunder's crackle (coming from the lightning) and also will keep lightning from hitting one ear and going out one ear and frying your brain. Hence, you are reducing the risk of brain damage by standing in this modified crouch position.

If you can't wait for the thunderstorm to pass, wait until the lightning flashes, and then, get out of the crouch position and go to an underground area away from the exposed outside, like a ditch or a ravine. It takes about 10 seconds from the worst part of thunderstorms from a nearby lightning flash for another lightning flash to occur again...so you have 10 seconds to find safe shelter...but do it fast before the next flash could hit you......

If lightning strikes the car, and if there is danger involved (e.g., a fallen power line on the car) and you need to get out of the car, you need to step clear of the vehicle....but don't put one foot on the ground and one foot in the car....to do so will result as if you are being tasered...you will be shocked and you may die.

This can save your life, and I am doing this just for you!