Summertime Myths: Lightning Storms

July 30, 2007 — -- This story originally aired on July 15, 2005

Summertime rituals are in full swing -- the smell of barbecue is in the air, bodies are tan, and people are geared up for days of worryfree fun. But for some, myths surrounding summertimes rituals, from concerns about shark attacks to swimming after a meal, taint the season.

Lightning in particular conjures up an entire catalogue of myths.

A sampling include:

Myth: Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.

Fact: It does, especially if it's a tall, isolated object such asthe Empire State building, which is struck an estimated 25 times ayear.

Myth: If it's not raining, you're safe from lightning.

Fact: Lightning can strike more than three miles from athunderstorm.

'No Place Outside Is Safe'

"Lightning's got its own agenda and we don't have its behavior totallyfigured out yet," said Richard Kithil, founder of the National LightningSafety Institute.

"I want to emphasize that no place outside is safe," he said. "We shouldavoid proximity to water. We should avoid proximity to metal objects. Weshould avoid proximity to electrical machinery or equipment," he said.

That warning may have you worrying about a metal object you likely spend quite a bit of time in -- you car.

Wendy Allen, an anchorwoman for Central Florida News, was in her car whenit was struck by lightning. "I just saw bright light," she recalled. "Intense lightfilled up my car for just a split second. But it was a deafening bang.And I knew."

The antenna was destroyed, and a tiny scorchmark on the trunk shows wherethe lightning exited after it fried the car's electrical system. Therewere burn marks on Allen's T-shirt where her seatbelt had been; and, ina story she taped afterward, she was still recovering from a burn onher lip.

"I was drinking bottled water while I was driving, so they think that Imight have had a little bead of water on my lip and that the electricityarced up from the seatbelt up to my lip and it charred my lip," she explained.

Otherwise, because the lightning had arced around thecar's body, she was unhurt.

Is It Safer on the Road?

"You're much safer staying in the car than going outside to try to findsome other place to go, said William Roeder, the chief staffmeteorologist at the high-tech 45th Weather Squadron at Patrick AirForce Base in Florida. Roeder is responsible for the weather safety ofthe space shuttle and other launches from nearby Cape Canaveral,including lightning detection.

According to Roeder, protecting yourself from a lightning strike by remaining in your car is no myth -- it's the safest thing you can do. Here's why.

"The metal shell conducts the electricity from the lightning on theoutside of the metal," he said. "If you're inside, not touching anything that canpass to the outside, you're reasonably safe."

But if you thought that being safe inside your car had anything to dowith the rubber tires, you were wrong.

"Think about it," Roeder said. "Lightning has just pushed through 10,20, 30 miles of air. You think two inches of rubber's gonna stopit? I don't think so. Lightning laughs at two inches of rubber."

And there are always exceptions to what's safe -- in this case, carswith fiberglass bodies, according to Kithil.

"This business of a car being a fully enclosed safe place only refers tometal vehicles. No convertibles, no golf carts, no riding mowers, thingslike that," he said.

If you do get caught in the open during a lightning storm, get away fromtrees and poles. Kithil recommends the following method to make yourself less of atarget: Crouch down, put your feet together and place your hands over your ears to minimize hearing damage from thunder.

Consider these important tips if you are in your home during a lightningstorm.

Turn off the computer,and stay away from appliances and plumbing.

Stay off the phone,although it is OK to use a cordless or cell phone, because they're notconnected to outside wiring.

Wait at least 30minutes after the thunder has stopped before resuming normal activities.