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Safety Tips for Lightning Awareness Week

Hot summer days bring afternoon thunderstorms in North Carolina, and where there’s thunder, there’s lightning. We can all do our part to prevent future fatalities by raising our own awareness of lightning safety best practices.

Author: Meredith Hemphill

Hot summer days bring afternoon thunderstorms in North Carolina, and where there’s thunder, there’s lightning. Lightning is one of nature’s most incredible phenomena. According to the National Weather Service, a lightning bolt can reach temperatures of up to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the surface of the sun! These extreme electrical discharges strike the United States about 25 million times each year. Lightning can cause power outages and forest fires, and it can be fatal if it strikes a person. Fortunately, deaths from lightning strikes have declined over the past 20 years, according to the National Lightning Safety Council. They attribute the decline to increased awareness, better safety guidelines, and improved medical care. We can all do our part to prevent future fatalities by raising our own awareness of lightning safety best practices.

Prepare Before a Thunderstorm
  • Check the forecast before embarking on outdoor activities. If thunderstorms are likely, postpone your plans.
  • Have a lightning safety plan for organized, group outdoor activities. This includes knowing where a suitable, safe shelter is and how you would get everyone there.
  • Consider purchasing surge protectors and a lightning protection system for your home.
  • Unplug electronic devices before thunderstorms arrive.
  • Bring pets indoors before the storm. A doghouse, porch, or other open shelter is not safe enough. NEVER leave a dog chained to a tree or pole during a thunderstorm.
  • Keep an eye on the sky. Large, flat-bottomed clouds with fluffy tops may develop into a thunderstorm. As they become darker and anvil-shaped, the storm is already in progress.
Be Safe During a Thunderstorm
  • Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors! Or, for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, see a flash, dash inside! Lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from the area of rainfall, so at the first sign of a thunderstorm, seek shelter.
  • A safe shelter is a house or sturdy building that is enclosed on all sides. A hard-topped vehicle will also suffice. Structures like picnic shelters that are open on at least one side will not protect you from lightning.
  • If you are caught outside during a thunderstorm, seek shelter immediately. Stay inside until at least 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder.
  • If you cannot reach a safe shelter, find a low place, like a ditch, away from tall trees or other natural lightning rods. Do not lie flat on the ground. Instead, crouch on the balls of your feet, put your hands over your head and tuck your head between your knees. You want to make yourself the smallest target possible.
  • If you are safely indoors, you still need to be cautious. Do not use corded telephones or electronics that are plugged into an outlet.
  • Avoid plumbing. This means no washing your hands, taking a shower or doing the dishes or laundry until the storm passes.
  • Do not sit/lie on concrete floor or lean on concrete walls. Metal pipes and wiring inside concrete may still conduct electricity from a lightning strike.
  • Do not touch metal surfaces. Metal does not attract lightning, but it does conduct electricity, so lightning can travel through it.
Render Aid if Someone is Struck by Lightning
  • If you or someone else is struck by lightning, call 9-1-1 immediately. Wireless phones are still safe to use during a thunderstorm.
  • People struck by lightning are not electrified. It is safe to touch them, so check for a pulse and see if they are breathing. Most lightning fatalities are caused by cardiac arrest.
  • If possible, move the victim to a safe location. Lightning can strike in the same place twice!
  • Give first aid until first responders arrive. If necessary, and you are trained to do it, start CPR.


For more information about lightning safety, visit these resources: 

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