“When thunder roars, go indoors!”
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – When you hear thunder, you know that lightning is somewhere near.
And no matter how far that may be, it’s always best to go inside.
The National Weather Service said that on average, lightning is responsible for 23 deaths per year across the country.
“Determining how close lightning is to you is definitely when you see lightning, but then you hear thunder right after. Depending on how long the distance is between each, that’s how you’re going to determine how close lightning is to you and how far away it is to you. So, if you hear thunder right after the lightning strike, you probably should go indoors,” said WCBI Meteorologist Addison Polk.
Lightning strikes can travel as far as 400 miles, but in most cases, when you hear that thunder, it’s within 10 miles of the storm.
The NWS advises going inside any time you hear thunder.
But if you’re stuck outside, be mindful of trees and metal objects, like umbrellas.
“Lightning is attracted to tall objects, so anything that’s really tall. If you’re in a field, and you’re the only tall one in the field, that lightning is going to be attracted to you. So, if you are in area where there are tall trees, that lightning is most likely going to strike a tree because it’s a tall object,” said Polk.
Lion Hills Center and Golf Course in Columbus encourages its guests to go inside if a storm is on the way.
“When guests are at the pool and we hear thunder, we do ask everyone to get out of the pool for 30 minutes. Now golfers on the course, it’s kind of more up to their discretion,” said Darby Unruh, the Director of Lion Hills.
Lion Hills also sends texts to its guests to notify them of storms.
“In our golf carts, we have a way of sending messages to our golfers, letting them know that storms are in the area. On the golf carts, the GPS has a way to view live weather,” said Colin Draving, the head golf professional for Lion Hills.
The NWS advises golfers to put down their clubs, take off their shoes, and move away from their metal golf carts.
“For me personally, any time that I hear thunder or see lightning, I like going inside just to be safe. Rather be safe than sorry.”
Lightning can also generate electric surges in your home or office that can damage electronic equipment.
You can find more safety tips about lightning on the National Weather Service website.
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