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During the summer months, people spend more time outdoors at beaches, barbeques, or playing golf. But the summer brings more than just hot hazy weather, it is also lightning season and that means extra caution outdoors.
Lightning is not something to be taken lightly, according to The Conversation. Every year in the US, lightning strikes 37 million times. In fact, there are very few days a year without lightening strikes and most occur during the summer months.
But what exactly is lightning? Meteorologists describe lightning as giant electric sparks in the atmosphere that are classified depending on whether it hits the ground or not. It is caused when precipitation particles collide in a cloud, and this creates an electrical charge.
lightning strikes can happen any time the conditions for thunderstorms exist including atmospheric instability and moisture are present but there are ways that you can stay safe during a thunderstorm. Here are six tips on how to avoid being hit by lightning.
Go Inside ASAP
The best place to be during a thunderstorm is indoors, according to news on the AccuWeather website. Staying outside is very dangerous. You must be in a building where all the sides are enclosed so avoid a pagoda. Even being in a car is safer than being outside. While there is an urban myth that the rubber in the tires ground the car, that is not the case.
“The real reason cars are a safe option is the metal shell of your car disperses the lightning around you and to the ground,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Evan Duffey said in the news report. “While you aren’t completely safe, you are safer in your car compared to outside.”
Stay Low to the Ground
If you cannot get to shelter, stay as low as possible – go into a ditch or depression – so that you are not the tallest thing around in a storm. If you are hiking on a mountain, go down and not up. Avoid places like fields, or hill tops and stay away from tall, isolated trees.
Don’t Ignore Thunder
If you are close enough to hear thunder, you are close enough to get struck by lighting so take cover immediately, reported the HuffPost. So don’t stay in the pool or play an extra inning of little league until the rain starts. Lightning can actually strike 10 to 15 miles away from the core of the thunderstorm. These lightning strikes are called bolts from the blue and can strike an area where it is not raining yet, Aaron Treadway, the National Weather Service’s severe weather program coordinator told HuffPost.
Avoid Using Running Water
When your mother told you not to run water during a thunderstorm, she was right. Avoid taking a shower or doing dishes. The electricity can travel through the water in the plumbing and enter your home that way.
Don’t Touch Electronics That are Plugged In
You are safe indoors during a thunderstorm if you are not in contact with something that is connected to the outdoors. That means landlines, electronics that are plugged in, or any appliances like vacuum cleaners or hair dryers. Using a cellphone, a cordless phone or a laptop running on battery is fine.
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