1. Average Lightning stroke is 6-8 miles long.

2. Average Thunderstorm is 6-10 miles wide.

3. Average thunderstorm travels at a rate of 25 miles per hour.

4. Once the leading edge of a thunderstorm approaches to within 10 miles, you are at immediate risk due to the possibility of lightning strokes coming from the overhanging anvil cloud. Because of this, many lightning deaths and injuries occur with clear skies directly overhead.

5. On average, thunder can only be heard over a distance of 3-4 miles, depending on humidity, terrain, and other factors.

6. Approximately 100,000 thunderstorms occur in the United States each year. Approximately 10% of all thunderstorms are severe enough to produce high winds, flash floods, and tornadoes.

7. Thunderstorms cause an average of 200 deaths and 700 injuries in the United States alone each year, most of which could be prevented if appropriate guidelines are followed.

8. Lightning leaders from thunderclouds proceed in steps of tens of meters, electrifying ground-based objects as they approach the earth. Ground-based objects may launch lightning streamers to meet these leaders. Streamers may be heard (some say they "sound like bacon frying") and seen (we may notice our hair standing on end). A connecting leader-streamer results in a closed circuit cloud-to ground lightning flash. Thunder accompanying it is the acoustic shock wave from the electrical discharge. Thus, thunder and lightning are associated with one another.

GUIDELINES FOR ATHLETIC EVENTS:

I. The weather forecast should be monitored and any thunderstorm warnings noted, especially on days with outdoor activities.

II. When a thunderstorm is detected in the area.

A. Judge the storm's threat to and distance from your location.

• Flash/Bang. We all possess a first-class lightning detection device, built into our heads as standard equipment. By referencing the time in seconds from seeing the lightning (the FLASH, or "F" ) to hearing the accompanying thunder (the BANG, or "B"), we can range lightning's distance. A "F" to "B" of five seconds equals lightning distance being one (1) mile away. A "F" to "B" of ten = two miles; a "F" to "B" of twenty = four miles; a "F" to "B" of thirty = six miles; etc.

• Record the time from “flash to bang”.

• Whenever a storm is within five (6-8) miles of your location, the game should be suspended and the spectators and participants advised to seek shelter in cars or a building. NEVER SEEK SHELTER UNDER A TREE.

SAFE AREAS INCLUDE:

• Fully enclosed metal vehicles with windows up.
  
• Substantial buildings.

UNSAFE AREAS INCLUDE:

• Small buildings including gazebos and picnic & rain shelters.
  
• Metallic objects like flag poles, fences and gates, metal bleachers, electric equipment, machinery, and pipes & wiring.
  
• Also---AVOID trees, AVOID water, AVOID open fields, AVOID using the telephone (cordless & cellular) and headsets.

*After the storm is believed to have passed, a minimum of 30 minutes should elapse before any outdoor activities are resumed.


IN CASE OF LIGHTNING STRIKE: Call your local emergency number (911) immediately. Medical treatment and symptoms: Treat the apparently dead first. Immediately administer CPR to restore breathing. Eighty percent of lightning strike victims survive the shock. Lightning strike victims do not retain an electric charge and are safe to handle. Common lightning after-effects include impaired eyesight and loss of hearing. Electrical burns should be treated as other burns.

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PERSONAL LIGHTNING SAFETY:
THE SHORT VERSION.

When you first see lightning or hear thunder, suspend activities and go to shelter. A metal vehicle or a substantial building is a safe place. Wait until 30 minutes after the last observed lightning or thunder before resuming activities.

"If you can see it (lightning), flee it (take shelter)."

"If you can hear it (thunder), clear it (suspend activities)."

-National Lightning Safety Institute, June 1998

2.IF OUTDOORS...Avoid water. Avoid the high ground. Avoid open spaces. Avoid all metal objects including electric wires, fences, machinery, motors, power tools, etc. Unsafe places include underneath canopies, small picnic or rain shelters, or near trees. Where possible, find shelter in a substantial building or in a fully enclosed metal vehicle such as a car, truck or a van with the windows completely shut. If lightning is striking nearby when you are outside, you should:

• Crouch down. Put feet together. Place hands over ears to minimize hearing damage from thunder.

• Avoid proximity (minimum of 15 ft.) to other people.

3.IF INDOORS... Avoid water. Stay away from doors and windows. Do not use the telephone. Take off head sets. Turn off, unplug, and stay away from appliances, computers, power tools, & TV sets. Lightning may strike exterior electric and phone lines, inducing shocks to inside equipment.

4.SUSPEND ACTIVITIES for 30 minutes after the last observed lightning or thunder.

5.INJURED PERSONS do not carry an electrical charge and can be handled safely. Apply First Aid procedures to a lightning victim if you are qualified to do so. Call your local emergency number (911) or send for help immediately.