Lightening info
from Cia Wenzel:
http://www.outdoors.org/publications/outdoors/web/how-to-be-prepared-for-lightning.cfm?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=magazine
Main points extracted from above article:
So what are key pointers about lightning safety to keep in mind? Here are a few, again drawn from the NWS site. These could save your life if you found yourself suddenly caught out in the open.
“When thunder roars, go indoors.” This is the NWS’s first recommendation. If you you’re close enough to a building to reach it quickly, get inside. It should be a modern structure—not a lean-to, tent, or other insubstantial enclosure. Ideally it should have electricity or plumbing; their wires or pipes will channel any lightning that hits the building. Because of this, during a lightning storm be sure to keep off of any devices that use electricity, such as computers or corded phones. If a solid building isn’t nearby but a metal-roofed car is, get into that. Keep your hands away from the car’s metal, which can funnel lightning safely to the ground.
If you’re outdoors, but can’t get to a building or car, immediately leave any elevated, exposed terrain such as mountaintops, ridges, or open hills. You don’t want to be the tallest thing around, which you often are when above treeline. When below treeline or in forest, stay away from tall or lone trees. As I learned that afternoon, they can draw bolts. It is better to shelter among smaller trees or bushes.
If you’re caught out in the open, seek a depression or gully where you can be lower than your surroundings. Even a few feet lower can make a difference. Don’t shelter in a shallow cave or beneath a rock overhang. As with the side flash, lightning can arc across such spaces, hitting you along the way.
If your hair suddenly stands on end, you are in immediate danger. You are in an extremely high electric field, with your positive electrical energy drawing the storm clouds’ negative energy. If those two charges connect, lightning will ensue. Immediately drop into a crouch, the so-called “lightning position.” Squat on the balls of your feet, keeping both feet together, and wrap your arms around your knees. If you have a foam pad or extra clothes, crouch on top of them. Throw all metal objects away from you. If you’re in a group, spread out at intervals of 50 feet or so to reduce the chance of multiple people being struck by the same bolt.
http://www.outdoors.org/publications/outdoors/web/how-to-be-prepared-for-lightning.cfm?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=magazine
Main points extracted from above article:
So what are key pointers about lightning safety to keep in mind? Here are a few, again drawn from the NWS site. These could save your life if you found yourself suddenly caught out in the open.
“When thunder roars, go indoors.” This is the NWS’s first recommendation. If you you’re close enough to a building to reach it quickly, get inside. It should be a modern structure—not a lean-to, tent, or other insubstantial enclosure. Ideally it should have electricity or plumbing; their wires or pipes will channel any lightning that hits the building. Because of this, during a lightning storm be sure to keep off of any devices that use electricity, such as computers or corded phones. If a solid building isn’t nearby but a metal-roofed car is, get into that. Keep your hands away from the car’s metal, which can funnel lightning safely to the ground.
If you’re outdoors, but can’t get to a building or car, immediately leave any elevated, exposed terrain such as mountaintops, ridges, or open hills. You don’t want to be the tallest thing around, which you often are when above treeline. When below treeline or in forest, stay away from tall or lone trees. As I learned that afternoon, they can draw bolts. It is better to shelter among smaller trees or bushes.
If you’re caught out in the open, seek a depression or gully where you can be lower than your surroundings. Even a few feet lower can make a difference. Don’t shelter in a shallow cave or beneath a rock overhang. As with the side flash, lightning can arc across such spaces, hitting you along the way.
If your hair suddenly stands on end, you are in immediate danger. You are in an extremely high electric field, with your positive electrical energy drawing the storm clouds’ negative energy. If those two charges connect, lightning will ensue. Immediately drop into a crouch, the so-called “lightning position.” Squat on the balls of your feet, keeping both feet together, and wrap your arms around your knees. If you have a foam pad or extra clothes, crouch on top of them. Throw all metal objects away from you. If you’re in a group, spread out at intervals of 50 feet or so to reduce the chance of multiple people being struck by the same bolt.