Lightning kills 14 so far in most deadly summer start since 2009
Lying flat on the ground won’t help, standing under a tree is never a good idea and, if you’re a man, fishing in Florida seems to be about the worst idea of all.
We’re talking about lightning. July is the peak month for fatal strikes in the U.S., and so far the 14 deaths through Tuesday afternoon are the most since 2009.
“It’s not a very good start to the year,” said John Jensenius, the National Weather Service’s lightning safety specialist based in Gray, Maine.
Jensenius said he doesn’t have a good idea why there has been an uptick in deaths. In 2014, 26 people died, which is equal to the five-year average. The odds of being struck over an 80-year life span are one in 12,000, according to the agency.
There are about 25 million cloud-to-ground strikes in the U.S. annually, and Florida leads the way with the most hits and deaths. There are squaremile parcels in Florida that get struck more than 33 times per year.
In contrast, the New York City area has six to nine flashes per square mile, while Jensenius’s base in Maine gets hit only one to three times.
Men are more likely than women to be hit, and people out having a good time lead those at work or going about their daily routines.
As a result, most injuries to humans are on Saturdays and Sundays.
The worst age for men is 20 to 29. Jensenius said. For women, deaths peak between 10 to 19. A decline for both sexes when they are in their 30s may have something to do with people becoming new parents and being more careful with their small children, he said.
Water sports account for the most leisure activity deaths, and fishing represents almost half. On land, golf, contrary to popular myth, is not the No. 1 killer, Jensenius said. You’re more likely to be killed playing soccer, followed by golf, running and baseball.
Another myth Jensenius likes to dispel is that lightning directly strikes the people it kills. Only 3 percent to 5 percent of victims die that way.
As a bolt drops out of the clouds heading for the ground, several streamers of the opposite charge will reach up to meet it. When one makes contact, the rest will discharge. If you are standing over one, it will kill you just as if you were struck directly.
If you’re standing on the ground when a bolt strikes nearby, the charge will spread out along the earth and take you down. This is why it isn’t a good idea to lie down if you are caught in the open.
“As humans, we like to set rules for lightning but lightning doesn’t always follow those rules,” Jensenius said.
Standing next to a tree is a bad idea because the lightning will travel down the trunk until it reaches you and then jump out. This is called a side flash.
“It will jump to the person because the person is a better conductor than the tree,” he said.
The best place to be is in a solid structure with wiring and plumbing. The wires and pipes give the lightning somewhere to go besides straight at you.
So the experts tell you to get off the phone, skip the shower and stay away from wall sockets during a thunderstorm.
If you are far from a building, a car with a metal top will do. Jensenius doesn’t recommend driving, though.
“I wouldn’t say you are 100 percent safe in your car,” he said. “Your car is going to die, so if you are in the middle of the highway, that might not be good.”
The best thing to do, if you hear thunder, is get under cover.
Bolts can reach out 10 miles from storms and just because you may see the sun doesn’t mean you won’t see a flash.
Then wait 30 minutes after the last boom before venturing out.