Lightning strikes 1,000 people a year in the United States. About 10 percent are killed, leaving 900 people with widely varying injuries. Chicago is about halfway through the peak thunderstorm and lightning season. Most people seek shelter in well-protected areas when the center of a storm passes overhead. A significant portion of injuries occur before or after a storm when those affected "feel safer." This is when the storms' strongest positive strokes are most likely to occur.
LIGHTNING SAFETY TIPS
* Stay away from high and open spaces, isolated trees, power lines, towers, gazebos, shelters, metal fences, convertibles, golf carts and water.
* Try to be well inside a sturdy building or large enclosed structure, but avoid windows, showers, sinks and land-line telephones.
* Go to fully enclosed cars, trucks, buses and vans with windows up, but keep your body away from metal.
* Remember the 30-30 rule: When you see lightning, count the time until you hear thunder; if it is less than 30 seconds, find a protected area immediately. After the storm has apparently ended, wait 30 minutes after the last lightning strike before resuming activities.
SOURCE: National Weather Service
Weather Report is prepared by the WGN-TV Weather Center, where Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN News at noon, 5:55 p.m. and 9 p.m.
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
IN THE WEB EDITION: For updated weather news, forecasts by ZIP code and local radar images, go to chicagotribune.com/weather or wgntv.com