Severe Weather Awareness Week: February 22 - 26 2010

Tips of the Day

1. The greatest danger of a lightning strike occurs near the end of a thunderstorm, not during the most intense period.
2. When caught outside, avoid contact with other persons. Don't hold hands, hug or congregate in large groups. Locate the nearest ground depresion and crouch down inside it with feet togther and hands on knees.
3. Always remember: when thunder roars, go indoors!

Safety and Personal Protective Measures

During a thunderstorm, a building, car, or truck are normally safe places to be.  It is the metal surrounding a person in each instance that provides the protection, containing the electrical charge and directing it away to ground.

Do not remain outdoors under threatening skies.  In such cases powerful electrical charges are building in the atmosphere and resulting discharges can occur at any time.

Do not run in a storm, calmly walk to cover or crouch as low as possible to the ground, keeping feet together and hands on knees.  Discard all metal objects from your person.

Useful Links

www.sky-fire.tv/index.cgi/lightning.html

www.nssl.noaa.gov/primer/lightning/ltg_basics.html

www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov

Lightning Trivia

True

There can be no thunder without lightning.

False

There is no danger of lightning if it is not raining.

Of those killed by lightning, 82% are male, and almost all are struck outdoors.

A lightning bolt reaches approximately 54,000*F in temperature, or about six times hotter than the surface of the sun.

A lightning bolt is usually 5 miles or more in length.

Lightning travels in both directions – like escalators, some go up while others head down.