10.6: Keeping Yourself Safe

Safety during Thunderstorms

From reading this chapter, hopefully, you’ve learned that severe storms and storm hazards should be taken seriously. One of the challenges in severe weather forecasting is that the impacts are often extremely localized. It is difficult to know exactly where hail will fall or a tornado will pass. Often, you’ll be aware that the possibility exists for storm impacts. Therefore, it is important to take precautions, regardless of whether you are in the right place at the wrong time.

Lightning Safety

Lightning is one of the most dangerous aspects of a thunderstorm. Lightning can strike up to 10 miles from the main area of the thunderstorm. That is about the distance you can hear thunder from the storm. Whether or not you can see the actual lightning flash, if you can hear thunder, you are at risk of being struck by lightning. Because of this, the National Weather Service has adopted the following motto: “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors ... and stay there at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder.” Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\) illustrates some helpful lightning safety tips from the National Weather Service, along with the percentage of lightning fatalities for various outdoor sports: 40% of lightning deaths during sports occur during soccer games, 27% during golf, 17% while running, 10% during baseball, 3% during football, and the remaining 3% from other sports-related lightning deaths.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Lightning safety tips from the National Weather Service. When thunder roars, go indoors and stay there at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder. It is also essential to leave the playground immediately and seek shelter in a sturdy structure, such as a school, a house, or even a car. (Public Domain; What constitutes a severe thunderstorm? via NOAA/NWS)

Other safety mottos include “Turn around, don’t drown.” If you see flowing water over a roadway, don’t attempt to drive over it. If there is a possibility of thunderstorms, don’t go hiking or do outdoor activities near streams or rivers. Flash flooding is a possibility. Similarly, avoid outdoor locations, as lightning commonly strikes the tallest object around. In an open field, it may be you. As soon as you hear thunder, a thunderstorm is close enough to be a hazard. Get yourself off of that open sports field, beach, or stadium, and into a shelter until it passes.

Tornado Safety

If a tornado is approaching, the safest place is inside an interior room in your house or another sturdy structure. The primary threat from a tornado is flying debris, so stay away from windows or doors. Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\) illustrates these tips via a National Weather Service bulletin. NWS suggests that when a tornado warning is issued, "get in, get down, and cover up". You need to get into a sturdy structure with as many walls between you and the outside. If such a shelter is not available, get as low as possible in the building you are in. A tornado shelter or cellar is common in the central plains and is the best place to keep yourself safe during a tornado. Once there, take refuge in a closet or bathtub with a mattress or something to cover you. You can cover yourself with pillows, blankets, or wear a helmet to protect yourself from falling objects.

Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): A tornado safety bulletin issued by the National Weather Service. (Public Domain; Severe Weather Preparedness via NOAA/NWS)

Depending on where you live in the world, some hazards are more likely than others. Still, it is essential to plan in advance what you would do in a severe storm. Often, there isn’t much time to react, so planning and preparedness can save lives.