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Weather-Ready Nation

National Program

Lightning Infographics

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Lightning Infographics

 

Lightning Types: In cloud-to-ground lightning (CG), a stepped leader, will zigzag downward in roughly 50-yard segments in a forked pattern. This stepped leader is invisible to the human eye. A return stroke of bright luminosity travels about 60,000 miles per second back towards the cloud. A flash consists of one or perhaps as many as 20 return strokes. Cloud flashes sometimes have visible channels that extend out into the air around the storm but do not strike the ground, known as cloud-to-air (CA). The terms sheet lightning or intra-cloud lightning (IC) refers to lightning embedded within a cloud that lights up as a sheet of luminosity during the flash. Lightning can also travel from cloud-to-cloud (CC). Large thunderstorms are capable of producing other kinds of electrical phenomena called transient luminous events (TLEs) that occur high in the atmosphere. They are rarely observed visually and not well understood. The most common TLEs include red sprites, blue jets, and elves. Ball lightning is a rare and randomly occurring bright ball of light observed floating or moving through the atmosphere close to the ground. Observations have widely varying identifying characteristics for ball lightning, but the most common description is that of a sphere having a radius of 15–50 cm, orange or reddish in color, and lasting for only a few seconds.
Safe Fishing: Understand the dangers of lightning. There are no specific warnings or advisories for lightning but all thunderstorms produce lightning. A lightning strike to a vessel can be catastrophic, especially if it results in a fire or loss of electronics. Boaters should use extra caution when thunderstorm conditions exist and have a plan of escape.
The Geostationary Lightning Mapper. GLM measurements help the weather, aviation, disaster prep, and fire communities with early warning of lightning strikes, identifying storm intensity, tornado lead times and false alarm reduction, and detection of heavy rainfall and flash flooding.
Lightning is hotter than the surface of the Sun and can reach temperatures around 50,000 degrees fahrenheit. When Thunder Roars Go Indoors! weather.gov/lightning
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When Thunder Roars Go Indoors! Lightning Fatalities for Outdoor Sports: Soccer-40% Golf-27% Running-17% Baseball-10% Football-3% Other-3%. Step 1: Leave the field immediately. Step 2: Seek shelter in an enclosed building or car (windows up). Wait 30 minutes after hearing thunder to return outside.
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One Strike, You're Out. When thunder roars, go indoors. Pictured: lightning striking near a baseball field.
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Your chance of being struck by lightning greatly increases when remaining outdoors during a thunderstorm. Lightning can strike from up to 10 miles away. Some of the activities people were doing when they were recently struck by lightning include golfing, boating, running, grilling, walking, construction, riding, gardening, and swimming. When thunder roars, go indoors! See a flash, dash inside!
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Lightning strikes the U.S. 25 million times a year, which sometimes results in death or permanent injury. You are safest indoors, or inside a hard-topped and enclosed vehicle. If you hear thunder or see lightning, take shelter immediately!
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Weather-Ready Before Lightning
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Lightning Means Game Over
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Lightning: Don't Become A Statistic!
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Lightning: Boating Survivor Story
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When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!
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See A Flash! Dash Inside!
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Caution Sign: See A Flash, Dash Inside!
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Lightning Do's & Don'ts
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Thunderstorms: Safe Boating
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Lightning Is Deadly
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Learn About Lightning
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Camping Safety
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