Flash & Bang in the Outdoors

Although lightning is a common and spectacular weather phenomenon – the power is extraordinary. I was reminded of its awesome power when a storm suddenly formed while hiking the summit of the Mount Mitchell mountain range. Luckily, I quickly descended to lower ground and took cover before the cloudburst was released. Within a few minutes of descending, the jagged bolts rapidly lit up the sky.

We later learned that a nearby backpacker was struck and killed that same day. The following week, a 20’ tree branch collapsed in a strike and missed my head by a few seconds.

Storms can be terrifying to experience when you are on a mountain summit. These incidents were the inspiration for this article.

How to reduce your chance of getting struck by lightning when you are outdoors during a storm

1. Seek a safer area

Move away from high ground, water, open spaces, metallic objects, and tall exposed objects (even if they offer shelter from the rain) as soon as you see lightning or hear thunder. Do not seek shelter within trenches, shallow caves, ledges, hollows, or valleys containing water. The best place to seek shelter is underneath a group of short trees or shrubs of uniform height.

• • Avoid solitary trees and open areas. You do not want to be near the tallest object as lightning strikes the tallest object in its path.
  • If you are in an area with many tall trees, know which species of trees are “safer” than others. Large trees without a tap root or those containing a high biomass root (several times the trunk’s width) offer better protection. When lightning strikes trees with complex root systems spread out into the earth, the expansive root structure quickly dissipates the lightning charges.
  • Avoid standing under Pine, Oak, and Elm trees — these are the most frequently struck because they tend to stand taller among other trees. When a tree is struck by lightning, the water and resin within the tree turn into gas. As the gas tries to escape within the structure, it creates high pressure and literally explodes timber and bark. These shards of wood can create high-velocity projectiles.

2. Assume the lightning crouch (squat) position.

Keep your feet together and crouch down on the balls of your feet. Do not allow your hands or other body parts to touch the ground. Keep spread out from others, with 10-20 feet of space between each person. Crouching reduces the surface area of your body, making you a smaller target. Any current ricocheting off a nearby object is more likely to travel over your body versus the vital organs through your body. Remove any metal objects from your body.

• Squatting keeps you safe because trees, poles, and other tall objects are all conductors of lightning. If lightning strikes an object, the current may not be completely discharged by the ground directly underneath the strike. Instead, electric current will often travel across the ground before it is charged. Therefore, any object in the path of the current will be impacted. Squatting down on your feet reduces the surface area of your body, so the impact of the electric current traveling across the ground is lessened.
• Don’t lie down! Laying flat on the ground provides more contact points for a strike, equating to more burns and other injuries.

3. Recognize the signs of an imminent lightning strike

If lightning is about to strike you, you may feel a tingling sensation in your skin, your hair may stand on end, you may also hear a high-frequency crackling sound, you may notice a blue halo around objects (St. Elmo’s Fire), or you may have a metallic taste in your mouth. If you detect any of these signals, it is VERY close to striking you. Assume the lightning crouch immediately and hope for the best.

Some interesting facts about lightning

Thunderstorms develop from tall, puffy, cumulonimbus clouds. These clouds are formed from rising air columns causes by the intense heating of the sun. Cumulus clouds can reach a vertical height of 5 -10 miles during hot, humid days. The temperature within the cloud is below freezing. As air move up and down the cloud, a current is formed. If currents continue to form, they will develop into localized thunderstorms. See here on learning how to recognize storm clouds and plan accordingly.

Estimate the distance between you and the lightning. Count the number of seconds from the time you observe a lightning bolt until the time you hear the strike (its thunder). Divide this number by 5 to get the distance in miles (3 for kilometers) of the lightning flash from you. For example, a 10-second count means you are 2 miles away (10/5=2). This principle works because light travels faster than sound. Sound travels approximately one-fifth of a mile per second or one-third of a kilometer per second. You hear the strike by a delay of approximately 5 seconds from the time the bolt actually occurred. Anything less than 6 miles away (30 seconds or less after a flash) is too close. Seek shelter.

A bolt of lightning can contain up to one billion volts of electricity. The average lightning bolt carries enough to power a 100 Watt household light bulb for about three months.

Lightning’s extreme heat – 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit – is what makes it so dangerous. Strikes can cause cardiac arrest, severe burns, and life-long ailments (if you survive). Do everything you can to avoid getting hit by lightning.

I hope these tips will keep you safe when you are caught outdoors during a storm.