What to Do During a Lightning Storm

May 28, 2006 — -- Warm weather is finally here. But that means that lightning storms are here, too. Here are some impotant tips on how to protect yourself during a lightning storm.

Remember the 30-second rule. If there are fewer than 30 seconds between thunder and lightning striking, it's time to get indoors.

When inside your home, don't talk on a corded phone. If lightning strikes your house, it can travel through the phone lines, through the phone cord and into your ear. Most lightning deaths that occur inside the home happen because people are talking on the phone at the time of the strike.

If you must remain outdoors and you're with a group of people, separate instead of huddling together. If you remain in a clump, that gives the electrical current lots of bodies to run through if you're hit.

Still outside? Crouch down close to the ground with your feet touching together. That way even if lightning strikes 100 feet away, the current will come up through one foot and back down the other and won't travel through your body and won't harm vital organs.