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Thunder and lightning are rare in the Bay Area and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that nationwide the chance of being struck by lightning in a given year is 1 in 500,000.  But when a thunderstorm arrives, follow these tips from the CDC to stay safe if lightning strikes.

The National Weather Service says you can roughly calculate the distance between you and the lightning by following this rule of thumb. If you count the number of seconds between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder, and then divide by 5, you’ll get the distance in miles to the lightning. So 5 seconds is equal to 1 mile, 15 seconds is equal to 3 miles. If you don’t count any seconds between the flash of lightning and thunder then the lightning is very close.

If you are outdoors when the storm arrives:

Do
– Check the weather forecast before participating in outdoor activities. If the forecast calls for thunderstorms, postpone your trip or activity, or make sure adequate safe shelter is readily available.
– Go indoors as quickly as possible. Remember the phrase, “When thunder roars, go indoors.” Find a safe, enclosed shelter when you hear thunder. Safe shelters include homes, offices, shopping centers, and hard-top vehicles with the windows rolled up.
– Seek shelter immediately even if caught out in the open. If you are caught in an open area, act quickly to find adequate shelter. The most important action is to remove yourself from danger. Crouching or getting low to the ground can reduce your chances of being struck, but does not remove you from danger.
If you are caught outside with no safe shelter nearby, the following actions may reduce your risk:
– Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges, or peaks.
– Never lie flat on the ground. Crouch down in a ball-like position with your head tucked and hands over your ears so that you are down low with minimal contact with the ground.
– Never shelter under an isolated tree.
– Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter.
– Immediately get out of and away from ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water.
– Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills, etc.).
– If you are in a group during a thunderstorm, separate from each other. This will reduce the number of injuries if lightning strikes the ground.

The National Weather Services says you should stay inside a safe building or vehicle for at least 30 minutes after you hear the last thunder. While 30 minutes may seem like a long time, it is necessary to be safe.

Don’t
– Don’t stay in open vehicles, structures, and spaces
– During a thunderstorm, avoid open vehicles such as convertibles, motorcycles, and golf carts. Be sure to avoid open structures such as porches, gazebos, baseball dugouts, and sports arenas. And stay away from open spaces such as golf courses, parks, playgrounds, ponds, lakes, swimming pools, and beaches.
– Don’t stay near tall structures
– Do NOT lie on concrete floors during a thunderstorm. Also, avoid leaning on concrete walls. Lightning can travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.

If you are indoors when the storm arrives:

Even though your home is a safe shelter during a lightning storm, you may still be at risk. About one-third of lightning-strike injuries occur indoors.

– Avoid water.  Do NOT bathe, shower, wash dishes, or have any other contact with water during a thunderstorm because lightning can travel through a building’s plumbing.
– Avoid electronic equipment. Do NOT use your computers, laptops, game systems, washers, dryers, stoves, or anything connected to an electrical outlet. Lightning can travel through electrical systems, radio and television reception systems, and any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.
– Avoid corded phones. Corded phones are NOT safe to use during a thunderstorm. Do NOT use them. However, it is safe to use cordless or cellular phones during a storm.
– Avoid windows, doors, porches, and concrete. Do NOT lie on concrete floors during a thunderstorm. Also, avoid leaning on concrete walls. Lightning can travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.