Safety in the presence of lightning

Lightning education should emphasize proactive planning. A proactive plan involves: (1) recognizing the development of a storm that may produce lightning, (2) noting the start of the lightning threat from the storm, and (3) making a plan for reaching shelter at all stages of the outdoor activity. Many lightning casualties occur in locations and times when lightning is not especially frequent and some blue sky is visible from the location. Also, more incidents occur after and before the time of the highest lightning frequency of a storm than during the highest rate. Once the storm has begun, use the flash-to-bang method: When you see the flash, count the seconds to the bang of its thunder, and divide by 5 for the distance in miles to the lightning from a location. The mean flash-to-bang time from one flash to the next in the same storm may be 10 to 15 seconds. Take proper shelter when you are farther away from the lightning than these times. The flash-to-bang method and a summary of planning concepts are described in publications for science teachers (Vavrek et al).