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WHAT IS LIGHTNING? Lightning is the result of the buildup and discharge of electrical energy. The air in a lightning strike is heated to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It is this rapid heating of the air that produces the shock wave that results in thunder. A cloud-to-ground lightning strike begins as an invisible channel of electrically-charged air moving from the cloud toward the ground.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE IN DANGER?

When one channel nears an object on the ground, a powerful surge of electricity from the ground moves upward to the clouds and produces the visible lightning strike. The danger of lightning poses a major threat to mariners. A direct lightning hit can damage or destroy vessels, overload navigational and other electronic systems, and electrocute crew and passengers. Articles from http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov
Lightning is a threat whenever:

• You see lightning or hear thunder

• You hear loud static on your AM radio

• You hear buzzing sounds on radio antennas

The Best Thing You Can Do To Avoid Lightning Danger Is Learn And Practice Good Lightning Safety! No Place Outside Is Safe Near A Thunderstorm! The ‘30-30 Rule’ Offers The Best Lightning Safety Guidance For The General Public. When You See Lightning, Count The Time Until You Hear Thunder. If That Is 30 Seconds Or Less, The Thunderstorm Is Close Enough To Be Dangerous – Seek Shelter (if you can’t see the lightning, just hearing the thunder is a good back-up rule). Wait 30 Minutes Or More After The Lightning Flash Before Leaving Shelter.

A House, Or Other Fully Enclosed Substantially Constructed Building, Offers Your Best Protection Against Lightning ("substantially constructed" means it has wiring and plumbing). But Stay Away From Telephones, Electrical Appliances, And Plumbing. Don’t Watch Lightning From Windows Or Doorways. Inner Rooms Are Generally Safer.

A Car With A Metal Roof And Sides Is Your Second Best Protection Against Lightning. As In A House, Don’t Touch Any Conducting Paths Leading Outside. It Is The Metal Shell That Protects You, Not The Rubber Tires.

Lightning Is The #2 Weather Killer In The U.S. -- Killing More Than Hurricanes And Tornadoes Combined! (only floods kill more) Lightning Is The #1 Weather Killer In Florida -- Killing More Than All Other Weather Sources Combined! Florida Leads The U.S. In Lightning Deaths, Injuries, And Casualties! Lightning Inflicts Severe Life-Long Debilitating Injuries On Many More Than It Kills! Lightning Kills About 100 People In The U.S. Each Year! Lightning Injures About 1,000 People In The U.S. Each Year! Long-term Lightning Symptoms Are Primarily Neurological And Are Difficult To Diagnose. Though Very Variable, Some Of The More Frequent

Symptoms Include Memory Deficit, Sleep Disturbance, Chronic Pain, Dizziness, And Chronic Pain. Lightning Survivors Sometimes Have Trouble Processing Information, Are Easily Distracted, And Have Personality Changes. Symptoms May Not Appear Until Months After The Lightning Strike. The ‘Lightning Strike And Electric Shock Survivors, International’ Is The Main Support Group For Lightning Survivors (www.lightning-strike.org). Lightning Causes About $5 Billion Of Economic Impact In The U.S. Each Year! Pennsylvania Leads The U.S. In Lightning Damage! The Odds Of An Individual Being A Lightning Casualty In A Year In The U.S. Is About 280,000-To-One -- If You’re An Average Person, In An Average Location, With Average Outside Activities, And Average Lightning Safety Behavior. That’s About 3,000-To-One Over Your Lifetime, With About 300-To-One Odds Of Being Seriously Affected By A Family Member Or Friend Being A Lightning Survivor. In Florida, It’s Closer To 80,000-To-One Per Year Of Being Struck, 1,000-To-One In A Lifetime, And 100-To-One Of Being Seriously Affected. The Odds Of An Individual Being Killed By Lightning Each Year In The U.S. Is About 3 Million-To-One -- If You’re An Average Person, In An Average Location, With Average Outside Activities, And Average Lightning Safety Behavior. That’s About 35,000-To-One Over A life Time, And About 3,000-To-One Of Being Seriously Affected By A Family Member Or Friend Being Killed By Lightning. In Florida, It’s Closer To 900,000-To-One Per Year, Or 12,000-To-One Over A Lifetime, And 1,000-To-One Of Being Seriously Affected. Keraunomedicine Is The Medical Study Of Lightning Casualties.

Mr. Roeder/45 WS/SYR/3-8410/wpr/4 May 02 Articles from http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov

Near Delphos, Ks. June 15, 1992. Photos by Sam Barricklow. For more information on these photos