MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The 4th of July is about a week away. Plenty of residents in the Mid-South will be spending the holiday outside but is important to pay attention to the weather especially this time of the year.
This week is lightning safety awareness week and is a great time to talk about thunderstorms and the risks they can bring.
Thunderstorms have ice in the middle and tops of their clouds which creates an electric charge. When this charge builds up enough the storm tries to balance things out by sending out a lightning bolt to the ground.
There are two types of lightning that we really care about and they both named for the type of charge they come from. Negative lightning is the most common type of lightning and can be powerful enough to cause burns or even kill. This lightning typically occurs in the rain or very close nearby.
Positive lightning can be much more powerful than negative lightning. The bolt will come from positive charges near the top of the storIm and can be 10 times as powerful as a negative strike. That along with the fact these strikes can be as far as 15 miles away from the storm make them much deadlier.
From 2016 to 2021 there were 444 lightning deaths in the United States. Breaking down the number July was the deadliest month of the year when it comes to lightning fatalities. During this period Tennessee saw 7 deaths while Mississippi and Arkansas saw 9 deaths.
In 2023 Memphis saw almost 40 lightning per square mile. That placed the Bluff City as the most lightning dense city not along the Coast in the US.
When it comes to safety, the old saying “When Thunder Roars go Indoors” is the best advice you can get. If you see lightning or hear thunder it is time to head inside. 1 out of 3 non work related deaths are near activists including the water like fishing, boating, or swimming so if you are near water is especially dangerous.
If you are inside it is also recommended to stay off any wired electronics and avoid using plumbing if possible.