Today, we know that the lightning strikes are not caused by angry gods but happen because of atmospheric conditions. However, that understanding has not led to a perfect accommodation with lightning – in the United States, more than 400 people each year are struck by lightning, resulting in about 60 deaths and hundreds of permanent neurological disabilities.
These accidents didn’t have to happen, and most could have been avoided easily with a few precautions. Lightning safety boils down to a simple premise, offered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a United States government organization: “When thunder roars, get indoors.”
That simple message underlines that there is no safe place in the outdoors during a thunderstorm. Many lightning strike victims claim that they were caught outdoors and couldn’t get to shelter. That usually means they waited too long to get to a safe place or went back outside before it was safe.
The National Weather Service estimates there are 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning flashes each year in the United States. The NWS does not issue warnings about lightning storms, but they do issue severe thunderstorm warnings.
When thunder is present, people may be in danger. It takes only a few minutes for lightning to strike – as far as 10 miles from any significant rainfall. It is not unusual for lightning to strike ahead of storms or after storms seem to have passed. A good rule of thumb: If thunder can be heard, then danger is present, even if the skies are blue in the immediate area.