En-Lightning Facts

Early Monday, a small quick moving thunderstorms raced across the Florida Panhandle.
The storm was not all that impressive unless you were one of the four Air Force Airman who were struck by lightning during the storm. The link provided will take you to a story with coverage of the strike.

http://www.panhandleparade.com/index.php/mbb/article/four_tactical_air_control_party_members_struck_by_lightning/mbb7721583/

This event provided me with some motivation for today's blog.

Lightning facts:
The distance you can hear thunder is between 2 and 12 miles away from the lightning bolt that created the thunder. Wind speed, wind direction, terrain, clouds and trees can be factors in the how far from the bolt you can hear thunder.

Thunder is generated along the length of the lightning stroke as the atmosphere is heated by the electrical discharge to the order of 55,000 degrees F. The heating of the air around the lightning produces a shock wave, which then changes to a sound wave as it moves away from the lightning.

The average lightning bolt is 6-8 miles long and can easily travel 25 to 40 miles across the sky prior to turning downward toward the ground.

The 30/30 Rule:

This safety rule teaches us that when you see a lightning flash, count the seconds to the thunder, then divide the number of seconds by five (sound travels one mile in five seconds) to give the distance in miles between you and the lightning. For example: you hear thunder 30 seconds after you see lightning, the distance is may be 6 miles. Thus the reason for the first number of the 30/30 rule. You will be safer beyond 6 miles from an active thunderstorm. Wait 30 minutes after you hear the last rumble of thunder before you venture out to do outdoor activities.



As we head into the spring and summer thunderstorm season, keep these facts in mind and keep it safe.