First it’s snow; then it’s thunderstorms

Now that the wintry weather is behind us, it’s time to switch gears and start talking about thunderstorms. May and June are the most active months for thunderstorms and associated severe weather across the Inland Northwest.

To qualify as “severe,” a thunderstorm must contain one or more of these three elements: winds of at least 58 mph, hail three-quarters on an inch in diameter or greater, or a tornado. Though occurrences of large hail and tornadoes are rare in this region, thunderstorms by their nature contain lightning, which can be a serious threat.

Nationally, about 400 people each year are struck by lightning while outdoors. Last year lightning strikes resulted in 45 fatalities. Even if you don’t see lightning in a storm, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck. While there may be plenty of stories of those who have been struck by lightning and lived to tell about it, it is not wise to take your chances against a force of nature that packs a whopping 300 million volts of electricity, an average current of 30,000 amps, and a temperature of 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit – that’s five times hotter than the surface of the sun.

There are several types of lightning that occur in the vicinity of a storm. Cloud-to-cloud lightning, also called intercloud, can be seen as a zigzagged stroke that reaches from one cloud to another. Intracloud lightning (the most common) occurs completely within the cloud, producing only a sheet of light that is sometimes mistakenly referred to as heat lightning.

Cloud-to-ground lightning is the second most common type of lightning, but the one that poses the greatest threat to life and property. Lightning-ignited wildfires during our dry summer season immediately come to mind. The heat from a lightning bolt is hot enough to fuse sand into glass.

When a lightning strike occurs, it rapidly heats the surrounding air causing the air to expand. The resulting shockwave is the thunder that you hear. You do not see lightning and hear thunder at the same time because light travels much faster than sound. The closer you are to lightning, however, the smaller the interval will be between the flash and the rumble.

To be safe it is always a good idea to move indoors in the of lightning. Lightning is merely an atmospheric discharge of electricity. Because air is a poor conductor of electricity, you would not want to provide an easier path (your body) for the current to get to the ground.

Unlike air, water is an excellent conductor of electricity. With that said, it makes sense to avoid being on a lake or any body of water in the event of a thunderstorm. If you are caught outdoors and cannot find proper shelter (trees are a definite no-no), do not lie flat on the ground. Even if you are not directly struck, lightning can spread as much as 60 feet horizontally after hitting the earth. You want to have the least amount of surface area in contact with the ground to reduce risks.

Though it has nothing to do with your rubber tires, you are safe in your vehicle during lightning. If lightning were to strike your car, it would travel through the metal frame safely into the ground.

Finally, it is true that you should avoid corded phones or showers during a thunderstorm. Electricity from a lightning strike can travel through phone lines and or metal plumbing and pose a danger to those on the receiving end.