I find it hard to understand how people can sleep through a thunderstorm. If lightning flashes and cracks of thunder doesn’t awaken them, what does? I’m up at the first flash of lightning or rumble of thunder to see what’s coming. I’m fearful of electrical storms but the rain is always welcome.
This past Monday morning I woke up to cracks of thunder and watched as lightning struck in the distance. I often wonder why there aren’t bush fires from all the lightning strikes that hit the ground in wooded areas.
Environment Canada says lightning flashes occur in Canada about 2.7 million times a year, including about one every three seconds during the summer months. Lightning is less common in northern Canada and most of British Columbia. The area from Windsor to Toronto, southern Saskatchewan and the foothills of Alberta see the most lightning activity.
An issue of Canadian Farming that I saved from a few years ago has a page of helpful hints of what to do and what not to do if you are in an electrical storm. A split-second bolt of 20,000-amp electricity more than 27,000 degrees C, travelling 32,000 kilometers per second seeks out something to zap. Farmers working outdoors rank high on the list of likely human targets, says the article.
The U.S. National Lightning Safety Institute recommends: Listen to the forecasts. Be more alert to the words “thunderstorms” and “lightning.” When you hear them, pay closer attention to developing weather. If you see it, flee it; if you hear it, clear it. Listen for thunder –where there’s thunder, there’s lightning.
Follow the 30/30 rule: If you count 30 seconds or less between seeing lightning and hearing thunder, seek shelter.
Identify your safety shelters. Buildings are the safest place to be during a storm. Be aware that a direct lightning strike can enter buildings through wires or pipes that extend outside the structure or through the ground. It can travel through the electrical, phone, plumbing and radio/television reception systems.
Stay away from electrical appliances, plumbing fixtures including running water, and corded phones (phone use is the leading cause of indoor lightning injuries). Also, stay away from windows, doors and concrete walls and floors, which may contain metal wires or bars that serve as conductors.
If you’re working outside, seek shelter in a fully enclosed metal vehicle such as a tractor with a cab or your pickup truck with the windows rolled up. Lean away from the door, put your hands in your lap and don’t touch the steering wheel, ignition, gear shifter or radio.
Avoid water, high ground and caves, open spaces and solitary trees. If you’re near woods, look for trees of uniform height. Know the signals. There may be several indicators that a strike is imminent. Your hair may stand on end or your skin may tingle with a static electricity-type effect. Light metal objects may vibrate, or you may hear a crackling sound. In this situation, Environment Canada recommends that you go into the “lightning crouch” position: Put you feet together, squat down, tuck your head and cover your ears. Don’t lie flat on the ground.
Surprisingly, most lightning strikes to people are not fatal, says the article. Studies show that 90 percent survive. Although lightning strikes are survivable, the after effects – most notably psychological issues – can be long term.
