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Severe Thunderstorm
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Why Talk About Severe Thunderstorms? |
Despite their small size, all thunderstorms are dangerous. Every thunderstorm produces lightning, which kills more people each year than tornadoes. Heavy rain from thunderstorms can lead to flash flooding. Strong winds, hail, and tornadoes are also dangers associated with some thunderstorms.
Thunderstorms affect relatively small areas when compared with hurricanes and winter storms. The typical thunderstorm is 15 miles in diameter and lasts an average of 20 to 30 minutes. Of the estimated 100,000 thunderstorms that occur each year in the United States, only about 10 percent are classified as severe.
Thunderstorms may occur singly, in clusters, or in lines. Some of the most severe weather occurs when a single thunderstorm affects one location for an extended time. Lightning is a major threat during a thunderstorm. It is the lightning that produces thunder in a thunderstorm. Lightning is very unpredictable, which increases the risk to individuals and property. In the United States, 75 to 100 people are killed each year by lightning, although most lightning victims do survive. Persons struck by lightning often report a variety of long-term, debilitating symptoms, including memory loss, attention deficits, sleep disorders, numbness, dizziness, stiffness in joints, irritability, fatigue, weakness, muscle spasms, depression, and an inability to sit for long. It is a myth that lightning never strikes the same place twice. In fact, lightning will strike several times in the same place in the course of one discharge.
Learn more about severe thunderstorm risk in your area. Contact your local emergency management office, National Weather Service (NWS) office, or American Red Cross chapter.
An NWS WARNING indicates that a hazardous event is occurring or is imminent in about 30 minutes to an hour. Local NWS forecast offices issue warnings on a county-by-county basis.
 | Lightning often strikes outside of heavy rain and may occur as far as
10 miles away from any rainfall. "Heat lightning" is actually
lightning from a thunderstorm too far away for thunder to be heard. However,
the storm may be moving in your direction.
| You are in danger from lightning if you can hear thunder. Because
light travels so much faster than sound, lightning flashes can sometimes be
seen long before the resulting thunder is heard. When the lightning and
thunder occur very close to one another, the lightning is striking nearby.
To estimate the number of miles you are from a thunderstorm, count the
number of seconds between a flash of lightning and the next clap of thunder.
Divide this number by five.
| Many strong thunderstorms produce hail. Large hail, or flying glass
it mayhave broken, can injure people and animals. Hail can be smaller than a
pea, or as large as a softball, and can be very destructive to automobiles,
glass surfaces (skylights and windows), roofs, plants, and crops. In a
hailstorm, take cover immediately. Pets and livestock are particularly
vulnerable to hail, so bring animals into shelter before storms begin.
| Downbursts and straight-line winds associated with thunderstorms can
produce winds 100 to 150 miles per hour, enough to flip cars, vans, and
semitrucks. The resulting damage can equal the damage of most tornadoes.
If a severe thunderstorm warning is issued, take shelter the same way you
would if a tornado were approaching your area. Leave structures that are
susceptible to being blown over in high winds, such as a mobile home. | |
| Learn about your area's severe thunderstorm risk. Severe
thunderstorms can occur year-round and at any hour. Contact your local
emergency management office, local National Weather Service office, or
American Red Cross chapter for more information.
| Discuss how you would know if a thunderstorm may produce a tornado.
Tornadoes develop from severe thunderstorms along and ahead of cold fronts.
(See the "Tornado"
section for more information.)
| Pick a "safe place" in your home where family members can
gather during a thunderstorm. This should be a place where there are no
windows, skylights, or glass doors, which could be broken by strong winds or
hail, causing damage or injury. Severe thunderstorms do, at times, produce
tornadoes.
| In preparation for possible tornado warnings, consider making your
severe thunderstorm "safe place" on the lowest floor of the
building, near your tornado safe space.
| Learn how to squat low to the ground. Make yourself the smallest
target possible for lightning and minimize contact with the ground.
Lightning current often enters a victim through the ground rather than by a
direct overhead strike. Assume a crouched position on the ground with only
the balls of the feet touching the ground, place your hands on your knees,
and lower your head. Minimize your body's surface area, and minimize contact
with the ground.
| Discuss how you would be warned of an approaching thunderstorm.
Different communities have different ways of providing warnings. Many
communities have sirens intended for outdoor warning purposes. Use a NOAA
Weather Radio with a tone-alert feature to keep you aware of watches and
warnings while you are indoors. Learn about your community's warning system.
Make sure all family members know the name of the county or parish where you
live or are traveling, because severe thunderstorm watches and warnings are
issued for counties or parishes.
| Get training. Take an American Red Cross first aid and CPR course
to learn how to treat burns and how to give rescue breathing and administer
CPR. Everyone should know how to respond, because severe thunderstorms can
strike almost anywhere at anytime.
| Discuss severe thunderstorms with your family. Everyone should know
what to do in case all family members are not together. Discuss-ing disaster
ahead of time helps reduce fear and lets everyone know how to respond during
a severe thunderstorm. | |
| Postpone outdoor activities if thunderstorms are likely. Many
people take shelter from the rain, but most people struck by lightning are
not in the rain! Postponing activities is your best way to avoid being
caught in a dangerous situation.
| If you see or hear a thunderstorm coming, go inside a sturdy building
or car. Sturdy buildings are the safest place to be. If no building is
nearby, a hard-top vehicle will offer some protection. Keep car windows
closed and avoid convertibles. Rubber-soled shoes and rubber tires provide
no protection from lightning. However, the steel frame of a hard-topped
vehicle provides increased protection if you are not touching metal.
Although you may be injured if lightning strikes your car, you are much
safer inside a vehicle than outside.
| If you can't get inside, or if you feel your hair stand on end, which
means lightning is about to strike, hurry to a low, open space immediately.
Crouch down on the balls of your feet, place your hands on your knees and
lower your head. Make yourself the smallest target possible and minimize
contact with the ground.
| Practice the "crouch down" position. Show children how to
practice squatting low to the ground to be the smallest target possible for
lightning in case they get caught outside in a thunderstorm. Show them how
to place their hands on their knees and lower their head, crouching on the
balls of their feet.
| Stay away from tall things like trees, towers, fences, telephone lines,
or power lines. They attract lightning. Never stand underneath a single
large tree out in the open, because lightning usually strikes the highest
point in an area.
| Stay away from metal things that lightning may strike, such as
umbrellas, baseball bats, fishing rods, camping equipment, and bicycles. Lightning
is attracted to metal and poles or rods.
| If you are boating or swimming, get to land immediately. Stay away
from rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water and get off the beach. The
saturated sand conducts electricity very well. Water is an excellent
conductor of electricity. When lightning strikes nearby, the electrical
charge can travel through the water. Each year people are killed by nearby
lightning strikes while in or on the water or on the beach.
| Turn off the air conditioner and television, and stay off the phone
until the storm is over. Lightning can cause electric appliances,
including televisions and telephones, to become dangerous during a
thunderstorm.
| Stay away from running water inside the house; avoid washing your hands
or taking a bath or shower. Electricity from lightning has been known to
come inside through plumbing. | |
| Make a list of items to bring inside in the event of a storm.
Having a list will help you remember things that may be broken or blown away
in strong winds.
| Keep trees and shrubbery trimmed. Make trees more wind resistant by
removing diseased or damaged limbs, then strategically remove branches so
that wind can blow through. Strong winds frequently break weak limbs and
hurl them at great speed, causing damage or injury when they hit.
| Remove any debris or loose items in your yard. Branches and
firewood may become missiles in strong winds.
| Consider installing permanent shutters to cover windows. Shutters
can be closed quickly and provide the safest protection for windows.
| Install lightning rods. Lightning rods will carry the electrical
charge of lightning bolts safely to the ground, greatly reducing the chance
of a lightning-induced fire.
| Insure crops against financial loss from storm damage through the
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
If applicable, it is recommended you obtain separate specific insurance to
cover your crops. Losses are not covered through usual insurance policies.
Each year severe storms cause millions of dollars in crop damage. Hail, in
particular, has been known to wipe out entire fields. | |
| Publish a special section in your local newspaper with emergency
information about thunderstorms and lightning. Place special emphasis on
what people should do if they are caught outside. Localize the information
by printing the phone numbers of local emergency service offices, the
American Red Cross chapter, and the nearest hospitals.
| Interview officials with the U.S.
Department of Agriculture about the Federal
Crop Insurance Corporation.
| Periodically inform your community of local public warning systems.
| Have your meteorologist speak to elementary schools and youth groups
about the dangers of thunderstorms, lightning, and hail.
| Interview a representative of the American Red Cross about giving
first aid to people who have been struck by lightning.
| Interview agents from various insurance companies about what
homeowner's insurance does and does not cover in severe weather
(flooding, fallen trees creating no structural damage, etc.). | |
| Use a NOAA Weather Radio with a tone-alert feature to keep you informed
of watches and warnings issued in your area. The tone- alert feature
will automatically alert you when a watch or warning is issued.
| If planning a trip or extended period of time outdoors, listen to the
latest forecasts and take necessary action if threatening weather is
possible. Knowing what weather could happen helps you be prepared to
respond if necessary. Having a raincoat, umbrella, and disaster supplies kit
available will make it easier to deal with severe weather if it occurs.
| Postpone outdoor activities if thunderstorms are imminent. Coaches of
outdoor sports teams should have a NOAA Weather Radio with a tone-alert
feature during practice sessions and games. Threatening weather can
endanger athletes, staff, and spectators. Many people take shelter from the
rain, but most people struck by lightning are not in the rain! Postponing
activities is your best way to avoid being caught in a dangerous situation.
| Keep an eye on the sky. Pay attention to weather clues around you
that may warn of imminent danger. Look for darkening skies, flashes of
lightning, or increasing wind, which may be signs of an approaching
thunderstorm.
| Stay aware of your surroundings. Look for places you might go
should severe weather threaten.
| Listen for the sound of thunder. If you can hear thunder, you are
close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning. Go to safe shelter
immediately. | |
| Listen to a NOAA Weather Radio, or local radio or television stations
for updated information. Local authorities will provide you with the
best information for your particular situation.
| Avoid natural lightning rods such as golf clubs, fishing poles,
tractors, bicycles, and camping equipment. Lightning is attracted to
metal and poles or rods.
| Be prepared to seek shelter if a severe thunderstorm approaches. A
sturdy building is the safest place to be during a severe thunderstorm.
Avoid unprotected gazebos, rain or picnic shelters, golf carts, baseball
dugouts and bleachers. While many people take shelter from rain in these
locations, they are often isolated structures in otherwise open areas, and,
therefore, a target for lightning. In addition, gazebos and picnic shelters
are often poorly anchored and subject to being uprooted and blown around in
strong thunderstorm winds. They also offer little protection from large
hail. | |
| Secure outdoor objects such as lawn furniture that could blow away or
cause damage or injury. Take light objects inside.
| Shutter windows securely and brace outside doors. This will help
protect your house from damaging winds or flying debris.
| Avoid electrical equipment and telephones. Lightning could follow
the wire. Television sets are particularly dangerous at this time.
| Avoid bathtubs, water faucets, and sinks because metal pipes can
transmit electricity. | |
| Draw blinds and shades over windows. If windows break due to
objects blown by the wind or large hail, the shades will help prevent glass
from shattering into your home.
| Unplug appliances. Avoid using the telephone or any electrical
appliances. If lightning strikes, telephone lines and metal pipes can
conduct electricity. Leaving electric lights on, however, does not increase
the chances of your home being struck by lightning.
| Avoid taking a bath or shower, or running water for any other purpose.
Metal pipes and plumbing can conduct electricity if struck by lightning.
| Turn off the air conditioner. Power surges from lightning can
overload the compressor, resulting in a costly repair job. | |
| If you are boating or swimming, get to land, get off the beach, and
find shelter immediately. Stay away from rivers, lakes, and other bodies
of water. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity. When lightning
strikes nearby, the electrical charge can travel through the water. Each
year, numbers of people are killed by nearby lightning strikes while in or
on the water.
| Take shelter in substantial, permanent, enclosed structures, such as
reinforced buildings. Sturdy buildings are the safest place to be. Avoid
unprotected gazebos, rain or picnic shelters, golf carts, baseball dugouts
and bleachers. While many people take shelter from rain in these locations,
they are often isolated structures in otherwise open areas, and, therefore,
a target for lightning. In addition, gazebos and picnic shelters are often
poorly anchored and subject to being uprooted and blown around in strong
thunderstorm winds. They also offer little protection from large hail.
| If there are no reinforced buildings in sight, take shelter in a car.
Keep car windows closed and avoid convertibles. Rubber-soled shoes and
rubber tires provide no protection from lightning. However, the steel frame
of a hard-topped vehicle provides increased protection if you are not
touching metal. Although you may be injured if lightning strikes your car,
you are much safer inside a vehicle than outside.
| If you are in the woods, find an area protected by a low clump of
trees. Never stand underneath a single large tree in the open. Be aware
of the potential for flooding in low-lying areas.
| As a last resort and if no structure is available, go to a low- lying,
open place away from trees, poles, or metal objects. Make sure the place you
pick is not subject to flooding. Have as little contact with the ground
as possible. Squat low to the ground. Place your hands on your knees with
your head between them. Make yourself the smallest target possible. Do not
lie flat on the ground this will make you a larger target.
| Avoid tall structures such as towers, tall trees, fences, telephone
lines, and power lines. Lightning strikes the tallest objects in an
area.
| Stay away from natural lightning rods, such as golf clubs, tractors,
fishing rods, bicycles, and camping equipment. Lightning is attracted to
metal and poles or rods.
| If you are isolated in a level field or prairie and you feel your hair
stand on end (which indicates that lightning is about to strike), drop to
your knees and bend forward, putting your hands on your knees. Crouch on the
balls of your feet. Do not lie flat on the ground. The electrical
build-up just before lightning strikes will cause your hair to stand on end.
Make yourself the smallest target possible and minimize contact with the
ground. | |
| Pull safely onto the shoulder of the road and stop, making sure you are
away from any trees or other tall objects that could fall on the vehicle.
Stay in the car and turn on the emergency flashers until the heavy rains
subside. Heavy rains produced by thunderstorms can greatly reduce
visibility. Vehicles will provide better protection from lightning than
being out in the open. Emergency flashers will alert other drivers with
limited visibility that you have stopped. Keep car windows closed.
| Avoid contact with metal or conducting surfaces outside or inside the
vehicle. Lightning that strikes nearby can travel through wet ground to
your car. The steel frame of a hard-topped vehicle provides increased
protection if you are not touching metal. Rubber tires provide no protection
from lightning. Avoid contact with potential conductors to reduce your
chance of being shocked. Although you may be injured if lightning strikes
your car, you are much safer inside a vehicle than outside.
| Avoid flooded roadways. Most flood fatalities are caused by people
attempting to drive through water, or people playing in high water. The
depth of water is not always obvious. The roadbed may be washed out under
the water, and you could be stranded or trapped. Rapidly rising water may
stall the engine, engulf the vehicle and its occupants, and sweep them away.
Look out for flooding at highway dips, bridges, and low areas. Two feet
of water will carry away most automobiles. | |
| Continue listening to local radio or television stations or a NOAA
Weather Radio for updated information and instructions. Access may be
limited to some parts of the community, or roads may be blocked.
| Help a neighbor who may require special assistance - infants, elderly
people, and people with disabilities. Elderly people and people with
disabilities may require additional assistance. People who care for them or
who have large families may need additional assistance caring for several
people in emergency situations.
| Stay away from storm-damaged areas. You may be putting yourself at
further risk from the residual effects of severe thunderstorms.
| Watch out for fallen power lines and report them immediately.
Reporting potential hazards will get the utilities turned off as quickly as
possible, preventing further hazard and injury. | |
| Call for help. Get someone to dial 9-1-1 or your local Emergency
Medical Services (EMS) number. Medical attention is needed as quickly as
possible.
| Give first aid. If breathing has stopped, begin rescue breathing.
If the heart has stopped beating, a trained person should give CPR. If the
person has a pulse and is breathing, look and care for other possible
injuries.
| Check for burns in two places. The injured person has received an
electrical shock and may be burned, both where they were struck and where
the electricity left their body. Being struck by lightning can also
cause nervous system damage, broken bones, and loss of hearing or eyesight.
People struck by lightning carry no electrical charge that can shock other
people, and they can be handled safely |
Produced by the National Disaster Education Coalition: American Red Cross, FEMA, IAEM, IBHS, NFPA, NWS, USDA/CSREES, and USGS. HTML formating By the Disaster Center From: Talking About Disaster: Guide for Standard Messages. Produced by the National Disaster Education Coalition, Washington, D.C., 1999. |
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