Lightning safety tips

(WOFL FOX 35) - If you're outside in Florida when a thunderstorm is approaching, you might want to take cover. That's just a small bit of advice from National Weather Service Lightning Specialist Matt Bragaw, who spoke with FOX 35 on Monday about the dangers of thunderstorms. He said that thunderstorms are especially imminent during the summer months, causing a lot of lightning to rumble through the state.

"In the state of Florida, thunderstorms are pretty much a daily occurrence during the summertime," Bragaw said. "In fact, the state of Florida receives 90 percent of its lightning between the dates of June 1 to Sept. 30."

Bragaw suggests that every person have a safety plan to avoid getting struck and to stay out of range of danger. If you are prepared, the chances of you getting struck decrease tremendously.

"When you have a lightning safety plan, that means you have an idea of what you are going to do should thunderstorms threaten," Bragaw said. "If you are going to be involved in outdoor activities in the summertime in Florida, you need to have a lightning safety plan because the storms are going to be there [and] they are going to threaten you. If you know what to do and where to go beforehand, and you know where to go once the storm has started to threaten, the chances of you getting struck go down dramatically."

The irony behind thunderstorms and lightning is that most people are struck before the storm even hits.

"A study that was done several years ago took a look at when people were struck with respect to the peak of a thunderstorm and, ironically, most people are not struck at the peak of the storm, but after before the storm hits and after the rain is gone," Bragaw said. "Most people have enough sense to come out of the rain, but they don't take shelter quickly enough or they leave shelter too soon because lightning can struck way outside of the rain shaft."

Lightning is so dangerous that it can strike more than 10 miles away from it's parent thunderstorm, according to Bragaw.

"It is the only weather phenomenon in a thunderstorm that can strike outside of the periphery of the storm itself," he said. "Tornadoes, winds, hail, heavy rains -- those are all confined to the storm itself ... so if you hear thunder, you are within striking range of a thunderstorm and need to be taking safety precautions immediately."

What about the old myth that you shouldn't take a shower during a thunderstorm? Well, Bragaw says there is truth to the tale and you can get struck directly through your water pipes.

"It is not recommended [to take a shower] because the water within the metal pipes is a very good conductor," he said. "There have been instances where people have been taking a shower or taking a bath. Indoor pools are also not safe because the plumbing is usually connected to outdoor systems and if that system is struck than the electricity could very easily travel through the plumbing system and into the water and strike you."

As far as your outdoor plans during the summer, Bragaw suggests that you at least plan accordingly and have a strategy come time when the storm rolls in.

"They are going to be here. They have been here before we were settled, they are here now and they are going to be here after we are gone," Bragaw said of thunderstorms. "We have to plan our activities around them. We can't expect the weather to conform to our activities."

More lightning safety tips from the National Weather Service: www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov