There are several precautions that you can take to ensure your safety during a thunderstorm. Follow these tips, and you will be safe and sound!
- Stay updated on the local news and weather reports - especially if there is a weather warning. Also, stay updated on how the sky looks. If the sky is starting to darken and the wind is starting to really pick up, start planning to take shelter.
- If you had any outdoor activities planned, postpone them for rain and thunder, cancel them completely at the first sign of lightning. It does not need to be raining for lightning to strike and injure someone.
- When taking shelter, look for a building or vehicle with closed windows and offers substantial cover from the elements. Avoid mobile homes when looking for protection because there is a high risk of them blowing over as wind speeds increase.
- If thunder is audible, you are in a close enough range to be injured from a lightning strike. It is recommended by the National Weather Service that you remain indoors at least 30 minutes after you hear the last clap of thunder.
- Keep clear of electrical equipment and use objects powered by batteries instead,
- Avoid windows and close all outside doors and shutters.
- Refrain from using plumbing (baths, showers etc.) during an intense storm.
- If you are driving when a storm hits, safely exit the road and find a place to park your vehicle. If the road conditions are blurry due to the rain, put on your hazard lights until visibility increases. While waiting, do not touch metal, or other surfaces that conduct electricity, either inside or outside your vehicle.
- If you are outside when dangerous weather starts and cannot get to a safer area, make sure you: steer clear of higher ground, water, tall trees that are isolated, metal bleachers or fences and things alike. Be advised that picnic shelters, sheds and dugouts are not safe in a storm.
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