Avoid Being Hit by Lightning

Mick Bohn, a pastor in Newcastle, Wyo., hopes lightning won’t strike twice. A bolt struck the back of his head one drizzly day on a South Dakota ranch. It scorched his beard, melted his jeans zipper, and flat out killed his horse. “It was a freak thing,” Bohn says. “Lightning goes where it wants to go.”

It’s true: Anyone can become a lightning rod, says John Jensenius, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s lightning safety specialist. Rubber-soled shoes won’t protect you, and squatting to stay low is nearly pointless. When the sky is crackling, he says, there’s only one option: “You need to get inside a shelter or a metal-topped vehicle.”

Of the several hundred people in the United States hit by lightning every year, most had a chance to get indoors, Jensenius says. If you’re caught in a thunderstorm, he advises avoiding high spots, tall trees, and wide-open areas. You can try blending in with inconspicuous, medium-size trees, but as the pastor says: Lightning goes where it wants to go.

Illustration by Michael Klein [3]

This article was first published in July 2011. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.