This being a designated week to talk about lightning safety, I want to discuss facts and myths about lightning.
Saying: Cellphones attract lightning? (Myth)
Reality: Lighting is not attracted by radio frequencies, so using a wireless device does not increase your risk of being struck. Landline phones however, should not be used in a thunderstorm.
Saying: The tires on your car will keep you safe if your car is struck by lightning. (Myth)
Reality: You are safe inside your hard-topped car in a lightning storm. It is the metal surface of the car that keeps you safe. Lightning travels the surface of the car and exits the vehicle through the tires, into the ground.
Saying: Lighting is hotter than the surface of the sun. (True)
The temperature of a lighting bolt can be as hot as 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature of the surface of the sun is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This is one main reason lightning is blamed for starting wildfires.
Saying: Lightning that flashes on a warm summer evening that doesn’t have thunder is “heat lightning.” (Myth)
Reality: There is no such thing as “heat lightning." Lightning that does not have thunder is a distant thunderstorm that is too far away to hear. Thunder can only be heard up to 10 miles away. Lightning can been seen from many hundreds of miles.
To estimate how far a lightning strike is from you.
1) Count how many seconds the thunder occurs after the lightning.
2) Divide the number of seconds by 5. That number would be the estimated distance in miles from your location.
Example: If you see lightning and then count to 10 before the thunder occurs divide by 5 and the lightning is two miles away.
Saying: The best place to be during a lightning storm is indoors. (True)
Teach children the saying “When thunder roars go indoors.”