After lightning struck four individuals on Thursday this week right outside the White House in Washington, D.C. — two of those people succumbed to their injuries and have been pronounced dead — people are understandably focused on the harm and danger that lightning strikes pose.
How can you stay safe?
What must you know about lightning to protect yourself?
One interesting factoid: Men are more often struck by lightning than women are — that’s because they’re more typically involved in outdoor activities such as fishing, boating, golfing and are therefore more exposed to it.
Also, “more labor-related work” such as outdoor construction jobs and the like make men more vulnerable to lightning, Derek Deroche, severe weather program coordinator for the National Weather Service, told “FOX Weather Sunrise” last month.
According to FOX Weather data, the U.S. has seen an average of 17 lightning-related deaths in the last five years. However this rate has been steadily decreasing since the beginning of the century.
“That’s a credit to a now decades-long effort by the National Lightning Safety Council and National Weather Service,” FOX Weather reported, “to highlight the dangers of lightning and what you can do to stay safe.”
“When we started the effort in 2001, the 10-year average U.S. lightning death toll was 55 deaths a year,” John Jensenius with the National Lightning Safety Council told FOX Weather.
“That 10-year average has now dropped to 23.”
Here are some general information about lightning and staying safe.
Warm weather that lures us outside increases the potential danger of lightning when thunderstorms approach.
Lightning strikes some 25 million times a year in the United States and kills an average of 47 people, according to the National Weather Service.
“Although most lightning occurs in the summer, people can be struck at any time of year,” according to the NWS.
“While most lightning casualties occur at the beginning of an approaching storm, a significant number of lightning deaths occur after the thunderstorm has passed,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as Fox News Digital has previously reported.
“If thunder is heard — then the storm is close enough for a lightning strike.”
Stay safe with these additional tips
If you are outdoors and hear thunder, move as quickly as possible to a “substantial” building that has electricity or plumbing, or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with the windows completely up, the National Weather Service advises.
If indoors, stay off corded phones, computers and other electronic equipment that provide direct contact with electricity.
In addition to avoiding plumbing such as sinks, baths and faucets, officials recommend staying away from windows and doors — and not lying on concrete floors or leaning on concrete walls.
A review of lightning-related deaths from 2006 to 2018 by NOAA revealed that nearly two-thirds of them occurred outside, based on cases.
The following tips can be used to help those who are trapped outside and have no shelter.
Never lie down on the ground, or shelter under a tree.
Never take refuge on a cliff face or underhang.
Stay off elevated areas.
Avoid water bodies when thunderstorms are approaching.
Avoid objects that conduct electricity such as barbwire fences and power lines.
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