Don’t Ignore the Dangers of Florida Lightning Activity

Henry Brandstofberg
| Your turn

Leon County gets a lot of lightning. The Earth Networks Lightning Detection network reported that Leon County experienced 56,597 lightning flashes in calendar year 2023, which equates to 85 flashes per square mile or 13 flashes per 100 acres.

Florida leads the nation in lightning. Although the I-4 corridor gets far more lightning than Leon County, the Democrat recently reported that a man was struck and killed this year while walking with his wife on the Alford Greenway in Tallahassee.

The National Lightning Safety Council (NLSC) reports that the chance of being struck in your lifetime is 1/20,000. Looking at it more broadly, the chance of a family member or friend being struck in your lifetime is 1/2,000. The NSLC puts this information into perspective:

“Your chances depend on your behavior when there are thunderstorms nearby. If you take the lightning threat seriously and always go inside before lightning becomes a threat, your personal chance of being struck is almost zero. However, if you ignore the lightning threat or take risks when there are thunderstorms nearby, your chance of being struck is much higher.”

Nationally, it is estimated that 275 people are hit each year. Although only 10% die, the remaining 90% have varying degrees of injury. Many injuries are lifelong, with neurological deficits being the most common. If you encounter someone who has just been hit, call 911 immediately for help and administer first aid. You will not get electrocuted if you touch the injured person. In many cases, their heart has stopped beating and you will need to perform CPR before help arrives.

Understanding the Dangers of Lightning

Almost all lightning victims are outdoors. The NSLC summarizes lightning safety this way: “When the thunder roars, go indoors!” The only place you are safe is indoors. Sitting in a car with a metal roof (not a convertible) with the windows rolled up offers considerable protection, although you are not 100% safe.

If the car were to be struck, the current would travel around the metal frame of the car and eventually go to the ground, which is called the Farraday Cage Effect. In a similar fashion, it is estimated that the average commercial airliner is struck by lightning once per year, usually with little to no damage to the aircraft.

What does “indoor” mean? A fully enclosed structure. That means four walls, no carports or covered picnic areas. Stay away from metal objects and anything electrical inside.

You might think that if there is no thundercloud above your head, you are safe, but that is not true. Lightning can start on the side of a cloud and travel through clear air for 25 miles before reaching the ground. You can have clear air above your head and still be struck. These flashes are called “flashes out of nowhere.”

Since we don’t want to get soaked in a thunderstorm, you might think that standing under a tree is safe if you don’t touch it. However, this is probably the worst thing you can do. If there’s lightning nearby and you’re standing under a tree, your head probably won’t get hit, but the tree will.

The powerful electric current will travel down the trunk, into the ground, and spread out. If you are standing close, the current can travel up your legs and cause injury or death. This is how most people get hit when they are under a tree: they get hit from the ground.

You may have heard that lightning always strikes the tallest objects. So if you are not that tallest object, you are safe. However, lightning only strikes the tallest objects. Countless objects and people are struck, even if there were taller objects nearby. Lightning does not follow absolute rules; it goes where it wants.

We used to hear that if we were caught outside and couldn’t reach a building, we could achieve a measure of safety by crouching, but not lying flat. And that used to be the safety guideline from the National Weather Service, but it’s not true anymore. The reason is that whether you’re standing or crouching, if there’s a lightning channel coming from above, you’re likely to get hit. A better approach is to avoid getting into this situation in the first place. Know when thunderstorms are in the forecast, and then watch the sky for developing storms so you have time to get inside.

The first and last lightning flashes of a storm are known to be the deadliest. The first flash may be unexpected, so you haven’t taken shelter. The last flash may make us think “it’s over.”

Being in a boat is not safe at all. Since lightning strikes even on smooth water surfaces and boats are higher than the water, boats are literally “sitting ducks.” If you see a storm coming, head for shore immediately. If there is not enough time to reach shore, stay low in the middle of the cabin if there is one, do not touch metal or electronic objects, and keep your arms and legs inside the boat. You are not safe, but you are doing your best.

I admit that I do not always follow all of these safety rules. However, I am going to make a determined effort to reform and I hope that you will too.

Henry Fuelberg is a professor of meteorology at Florida State University. He can be reached at [email protected].

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