Lightning strikes!
In the US, lightning kills about 300 each year. The good news is that if you or someone in your group gets struck, you’ve got a 66% chance of living.
Obviously, you want to check the weather forecast before you hike. Make sure you understand the general weather patters of the areas you’re going to be in. For example, alpine areas often have afternoon thunderstorms. Desert areas don’t get much rain (duh).
Be aware of what the weather is doing. Check the horizon often. Is there a storm or clouds coming? Remember that storms move at about 20 miles an hour, so you can’t outrun one. Measure the time between lightning strikes and thunder claps and divide the number of seconds by 5. So 5 seconds equal 1 mile. That’s roughly the number of miles away the storm is from you.
Here are some tips for hiking and climbing in lightning storms:
AVOID:
- Metal
- Water
- High places
- Solitary tall trees
- Close contact with others
- Open spaces
- Changes in terrain (areas of contact between dissimilar objects, like rock and ground, tree and ground, land and water, etc.)
- Narrow areas that could be dangerous in the event of a flash flood.
LOOK FOR:
- A low stand of trees.
- Ditches, trenches, or other areas of low ground
OTHER NOTES:
- Leave your pack (containing any metal) at least 100 feet away.
- Crouch down, lower your head, cover your ears with your hands, and close your eyes.
- Injured people don’t retain the electrical charge, so it’s safe to touch them.
Click here to go to the Wikipedia page on lightning; it’s got a ton of awesome, useful info. Oh, and lightning can indeed strike twice!
