Heeding the warning signs of a pending lightning strike can be a lifesaving decision.
Every year in Canada, an average of 10 people are killed by lightning and between 62 and 164 people in the country suffer lightning-related injuries. If you do get hit, the chances are one in 10 you will die.
While there wasn't much of a warning to Nels Hansen of Prince George when he got hit by lightning Wednesday night at a College Heights ballfield, there are a few telltale clues when lightning is approaching that could help you escape injury, as Hansen did.
Lighting actually travels up from the ground into the atmosphere. In nature, opposites attract and when there's a buildup of negative and positive charges, that's prime time for a lightning bolt to strike as a discharge of electricity. Negatively-charged electrons, which can latch onto raindrops, seek out positively-charged particles on the ground. When the connection in made, the discharge can carry between 100 million and one billion volts of electricity, which can bring a flash of heat that's five times hotter than the surface of the sun.
"Lightning likes to follow the path of least resistance," said Peter Jackson, an atmospheric science professor at UNBC. "Lightning likes to go to objects that conduct current to the ground and it's usually a tall object that conducts well. That's why tall buildings in major cities get hit fairly often.
"In [Hansen's] situation, sitting next to a tall fence, it seems quite likely the reason he didn't get more injured was that the fence got hit and he got some kind of a charge, but not a direct charge from the main current. Given where he was sitting, on a bench next to a backstop, he's much below the height of the backstop and the current would go through the fence and up into the atmosphere."
Jackson said the initial path of lightning from the cloud to the ground is invisible, and the bright flash that we know as lightning is the return stroke that travels up from the ground.
"Once the pathway is set, that is the pathway of least resistance for current to flow, and you'll get multiple charges going up that same path that occur over a second or so," said Jackson.
Take shelter if you feel a tingling sensation on your skin, your hair is standing on end, or if you hear a clicking sound in the air.
An unused AM radio frequency can detect static charges as they build and right before the bolt hits it will sound like a zipper or a whine increasing in frequency. The acrid smell of ozone, which is similar to the smell burning electrical equipment or wires, might also precede a lightning strike.
While people are usually safe inside their houses, there are a few precautions to take. Avoid using hard-wired appliances and don't stand near walls that have conceal electrical wires. If the house gets hit, the charge could be directed to electrical sources. Avoid basement concrete slabs, bathtubs and showers, and any water pipes or faucets.
Vehicles are safe havens in lightning storms because even if they get hit, the charge is usually dispersed through the rubber tires. Avoid touching anything metal inside and keep windows rolled up.
If you get caught in a field during a storm, try to stay low and don't run for cover under a single tree, look for a heavily-forested area. If you have no other recourse, crouch into ball with only your feet touching the ground.
"You don't want to be the tallest thing on an open field," said Jackson.
A lighting strike normally leaves the victim unconscious, without a heartbeat or respiration and CPR is usually needed to bring the person back to life. Some victims of lightning strikes have been known to suffer from longterm psychological disorders, personality changes, depression and chronic fatigue as a result.
