The Facts About Lightning May Shock You!

Lately, locals have heard a lot of snap, crackle and pop — but not from our breakfast cereals. Around here, though, the sounds are more like roars and booms.

Shorewood has certainly had its fair share of thunder storms and flooding this week. It is apropos that the National Weather Service has deemed this Lightning Safety Week.

Compared to the devastation tornadoes have caused this season, the five lightning-related deaths may seem minor.

However, in the past ten years, lightning injures an average of 250 people annually, and kills about 40. The odds of being struck in a lifetime are one in 10,000 — far likelier than willing the lottery.

The National Weather Service advises that whenever you  hear thunder, go inside immediately. Here are some tips:

• Stay off corded phones. Cells and cordless are OK.
• Unplug electrical equipment before the storm arrives. Otherwise, don't touch equipment or cords.
• Avoid plumbing, such as faucets, and showers. Don't do the dishes.
• Stay away from concrete floors and walls. Stay off porches, and away from windows.
• Bring pets inside. Take them off chains, out of runners and dog houses.
• Lightning can strike through the ground. So even if your home is not hit, lightning can enter  your home through pipes and wires some distance from the actual strike.

To learn how to protect your personal property, such as computers, click here. Typical surge protectors are not enough.

Lightning can heat up to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That is about five times hotter than the surface of the sun. There are about 25 million lightening flashes every year. A high percentage of them are forked, having multiple attachment points to the earth. It can spread out about 60 feet after striking.

Here are some truths, according to the National Weather Service:

• Lightning can and often strikes twice in the same place. For example, the Empire State Building is hit nearly 100 times annually.
• It does not have to be raining for lightning to strike. It can strike over 3 miles from a storm.
• In a car, it is the metal roof and sides that insulate and protect you, not the rubber tires.
• It is perfectly safe to touch a lightning victim. You will not be electrocuted by giving first aid.
• Never stand under a tree in a storm to stay dry. Get inside if you hear thunder.
• If trapped outside during a storm, keep moving toward shelter. Do not lay down. That will increase your chance of being affected by a ground current.
• Height, pointy shape and isolation are dominant factors in controlling where lightening will strike.
• A person wearing a watch or metal jewelry, for example, has little effect. If you are stuck outside during a storm, don't waste time removing metal. Instead, keep moving toward shelter.

The statistics of injuries and fatalities caused by lightning have improved in recent years. The more we understand the facts, the safer we will be.

To learn more, click here for the National Weather Service.