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| June 21 - 27, 2009 |
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So there you are outdoors. Whether it's a baseball game, putting laundry on a clothesline or attending a graduation ceremony...you could become vulnerable. How? While you are keeping track of the score, you may lose track of the weather. |
| Lightning tends to catch people off guard. It is quiet...but it is also deadly. In fact, lightning kills more people than tornadoes in an average year in the United States. |
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| In Arkansas, there were 116 deaths and 275 injuries due to lightning from 1959 to 1999. Statistics show that the deaths and injuries occurred mostly in the Summer months...when people are most likely to be outdoors. Check out the statistics below...
| In Arkansas, there were 116 deaths and 275 injuries due to lightning from 1959 to 1999. Statistics show that the deaths and injuries occurred mostly in the Summer months...when people are most likely to be outdoors. Check out the statistics below...
| Arkansas Lightning Statistics...1959-1999 |
| Month |
Deaths |
Injuries |
| January |
0 |
2 |
| February |
0 |
3 |
| March |
8 |
4 |
| April |
0 |
29 |
| May |
13 |
34 |
| June |
35 |
67 |
| July |
30 |
48 |
| August |
23 |
72 |
| September |
6 |
13 |
| October |
0 |
1 |
| November |
0 |
0 |
| December |
1 |
2 |
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| More recently, one person was killed by lightning and two others were injured beneath a large pine tree in Little Rock (Pulaski County) in May, 2008. |
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Where does lightning come from? Lightning is a part of an atmospheric battery surrounding a thunderstorm. It is produced due to the magnetic attraction between the base of a storm cloud (negative charge) and the ground (positive charge). |
| To go from cloud to ground, lightning must travel through air...a poor conductor of electricity. To make a connection, lightning will tend to go the shortest distance possible. Given this, lightning tends to strike tall isolated objects such as buildings, antennas and trees. |
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| Away from the city and in open fields, the tallest objects may be you or your pets! |
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| In the picture: Lightning struck a metallic fence, with the current traveling along the fence. Cows touching the fence were killed. The picture is courtesy of Ruth Lyon-Bateman. |
| Victims of Lightning Across the Country (2007) |
| Criteria |
Percent |
| Outdoors |
98% |
| Male |
89% |
| Male (Age 20-25) |
30% |
| Under a Tree |
25% |
| On or Near the Water |
25% |
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| So now that you know the facts, how do you protect yourself from lightning? Education is the key to understanding lightning and to avoid becoming a statistic. For years, the National Weather Service has provided information to the public about lightning in hopes that citizens could make life saving decisions when confronted by lightning. Now the National Weather Service is taking it one step further. |
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In the poster to right: Professional golfer Rocco Mediate helps promote lightning safety for the National Weather Service. |
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| The National Weather Service is so serious about lightning that it has a public safety awareness campaign called "When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!" The campaign is designed to increase lightning awareness and decrease lightning deaths and injuries. |
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For more on lightning...there is a very useful website available. To go to the website, click here. |
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