Video Of Lightning Strike On NJ Beach Shows Mother Nature's Power

Mother Nature’s power was on full display when a bolt of lightning destroyed a lifeguard station in Cape May.

A video was captured of the lightning strike, which happened Sunday evening, and has been circulating around social media.

It begins with a man bringing a chair inside from the deck of Cape May’s Convention Hall on Steger’s Beach. After the man turns a corner, the lightning strike is seen striking the ground, causing an explosion.

In the aftermath, the video shows the lifeguard stand with wood pieces that had been splintered off it. The video was posted by a local business, Coffee Tyme, and provided by the City of Cape May. No one was injured in the incident. The beach had been cleared earlier in the day. About an inch of rain fell in the area on Sunday.

Sunday’s incident demonstrates just how important it is to listen to authorities who urge bathers to seek refuge during a thunderstorm.

Between 2006 and 2015, 18 people died of lightning strikes on the beach, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report. This accounted for 6 percent of lightning-related deaths in that period, second only to fishing, which accounted for 11 percent of the 313 deaths during that period.

The odds of being struck by lightning at all is 300,000 to one, David Hand wrote in his book, “The Improbability Principle.”

Accuweather advises potential beach goers to avoid the beach and bodies of water in the event of a lightning storm. Water doesn’t necessarily attract lightning, but it is an excellent conductor of electricity.

“If out at the beach, pool or lake, and you hear thunder begin to roll in, seek shelter immediately,” Accuweather advises. “Being outside, especially near water, is not a good option.”

Accuweather also provides these general tips:

1. Get inside as quickly as possible
2. Stay low
3. Being inside a car is not as safe as being in a building, but it is better than being outside
4. Avoid bodies of water
5. Tents and pavilions aren’t good options
6. Check the forecast before going out
7. Seek shelter as soon as you hear thunder

Image via Facebook