What is the lightning 30 30 rule?

When You See Lightning, Count The Time Until You Hear Thunder. If That Is 30 Seconds Or Less, The Thunderstorm Is Close Enough To Be Dangerous – Seek Shelter (if you can't see the lightning, just hearing the thunder is a good back-up rule). Wait 30 Minutes Or More After The Lightning Flash Before Leaving Shelter.

Is every 5 seconds a mile for lightning?

If you count the number of seconds between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder, and then divide by 5, you'll get the distance in miles to the lightning: 5 seconds = 1 mile, 15 seconds = 3 miles, 0 seconds = very close. Keep in mind that you should be in a safe place while counting.

Why wait 30 minutes after lightning?

Because electrical charges can linger in clouds after a thunderstorm has seemingly passed, experts agree that people should wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder before resuming outdoor activities.

What is the OSHA rule for lightning?

Remain in the shelter for at least 30 minutes after hearing the last sound of thunder. Vehicles as Shelter: If safe building structures are not accessible, employers should guide workers to hard-topped metal vehicles with rolled up windows.

How far away is lightning after 1 second?

Simply count the number of seconds between the flash and the sound of thunder and divide by 5 to get the distance in miles. So, 1 second = less than a mile (a fifth of a mile), 5 seconds = 1 mile, 20 seconds = 4 miles, etc.

Follow the 30/30 rule in lightning safety

Why is thunder so loud?

Why is thunder so loud? It's because the amount of electrical energy that flows from the cloud to the ground is so enormous: it's like a very big waterfall of electricity. The louder the sound that you hear, the closer you are to the lightning. Light travels through air much faster than sound.

Why can't I hear thunder after lightning?

Sometimes lightning may be seen but there is no thunder heard. This is either because thunder is rarely heard more than 20 km away or because the atmospheric conditions lead to sound bending upwards and away from the surface.

How close do you have to be for lightning to strike you?

While lightning has been recorded to strike at a distance of 10 miles, the rule of thumb used for safety is a six mile distance. Thus, seeking shelter is recommended if the lightning is six miles away or less. There are a number of lightning detectors on the market using various methods to determine lightning distance.

How long after lightning can you work?

30 Minutes: After seeing the last lightning flash or thunder clap, wait 30 minutes before leaving shelter. More than half of lightning deaths occur after the thunderstorm has passed.

How close to lightning do you have to be to get struck?

Lightning can travel 10 to 12 miles from a thunderstorm. This is often farther than the sound of thunder travels. That means that if you can hear thunder you are close enough to a storm to be in danger of being struck by lightning.

How far away is lightning at 3 seconds?

A general rule of thumb to know how far off a bolt of lightning is when you hear thunder, if you count the number of seconds between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder, and then divide by 5, you'll get the distance in miles to the lightning: 5 seconds = 1 mile, 15 seconds = 3 miles, 0 seconds = very close.

How far away is lightning at 10 seconds?

When you see the flash of a lightning bolt, you can start counting seconds and then divide to see how far away the lightning struck. If it takes 10 seconds for the thunder to roll in, the lightning struck about 2 miles or 3 kilometers away.

What does it mean if there's light 3 seconds before thunder?

A three-second count, then, would place the lightning strike about 1,020 m away, or roughly 1 km. Originally published on Live Science.

Do I have to dodge 200 lightning strikes in a row?

If you press it fast enough you'll dodge the lightning, if not you'll get struck; you'll need to dodge 200 consecutive strikes and get the reward to earn this trophy. You'll have to count your dodges as the trophy is only rewarded once you get the item for 200 consecutive dodges.

What are the four types of lightning?

Can lightning strike through a window?

Glass is a good insulator, so it is very unlikely that a window pane would ever be struck directly. But a lightning strike on the roof of a house will travel down through the building through the most conductive route available.

Is a car the safest place to be during lightning?

NO! Like trees, houses, and people, anything outside is at risk of being struck by lightning when thunderstorms are in the area, including cars. The good news though is that the outer metal shell of hard-topped metal vehicles does provide protection to those inside a vehicle with the windows closed.

Is it painful being struck by lightning?

A jolting, excruciating pain. “My whole body was just stopped—I couldn't move any more,” Justin recalls. “The pain was … I can't explain the pain except to say if you've ever put your finger in a light socket as a kid, multiply that feeling by a gazillion throughout your entire body.

What not to do during lightning?

Avoid windows, doors, porches, and concrete.

Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches. Do NOT lie on concrete floors or lean on concrete walls during a thunderstorm. Lightning can travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.

What attracts lightning to a house?

Lightning is attracted to the ground and clouds. You may have been brought up to believe that what attracts lightning is holding or wearing metal, and this is actually false. The position of a storm relative to the location of where someone is determined where lightning will strike.

What happens if lightning strikes water you're in?

Lightning doesn't strike the ocean as much as land, but when it does,it spreads out over the water, which acts as a conductor. It can hit boats that are nearby, and electrocute fish that are near the surface. If you're at the beach and hear thunder or see lightning, get out of the water.

What happens when lightning hits ocean?

When lightning strikes, most of electrical discharge occurs near the water's surface. Most fish swim below the surface and are unaffected. Although scientists don't know exactly just how deep the lightning discharge reaches in water, it's very dangerous to be swimming or boating during a thunderstorm.

Where does lightning strike the most?

Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is the place on Earth that receives the most lightning strikes. Massive thunderstorms occur on 140-160 nights per year with an average of 28 lightning strikes per minute lasting up to 10 hours at a time. That's as many as 40,000 lightning strikes in one night!

Where does lightning strike the least?

The North and South Poles and the areas over the oceans have the fewest lightning strikes.

How do you know if lightning is about to strike you?

If your hair stands on end, lightning is about to strike you. Drop to your knees and bend forward but don't lie flat on the ground. Wet ground is a good conductor of electricity.