Thunderstorms and Camping Safety

Chuck Doswell

and Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 777, Norman, OK*

Last Update: 21 December
2001. modified the
disclaimer.

NOTICE:
All images used on this page are copyrighted (unless otherwise
noted); any duplication of copyrighted images, electronically or
otherwise, is a violation of Federal law. Contact me at: cdoswell@earthlink.net to discuss use of any of these images.

*Disclaimer: This page is not officially condoned in any way ... it
has no formal recognition by my place of employment, the Federal
Government, or the Boy Scouts of America. I offer these ideas in the
spirit of providing information that can benefit campers as they plan
their outdoor experiences. This information carries with it no implication of
providing absolute safety from thunderstorm
hazards ... rather, this
information is aimed at improving your odds of not having a bad
esperience with the hazards produced by thunderstorms. If you have
suggestions, additions, or corrections, please e-mail me at:
cdoswell@hoth.gcn.ou.edu.

When folks go camping, whether into the wilderness or just
locally, they have to be prepared to deal with whatever weather
happens to be going on during their campout. If you've done any
camping at all, chances are you've experienced a few thunderstorms,
up close and personal in a tent, or while hiking and otherwise
enjoying the outdoors.

It's my "day job" to be involved in hazardous weather, mostly from
thunderstorms. Thunderstorms have a
beneficial
side, but on some occasions, they become more than a minor
inconvenience for campers and those involved in outdoor activities.
Through my Scouting experiences, I've had many opportunities to see
how young people and their adult leaders operate during a campout.

Teenage boys are legendary for trying to act "macho" and getting
stuck in situations that have become dangerous. Unfortunately, adult
leaders sometimes can be just as silly and ignorant as the boys. It's
often said "What you don't know can't hurt you." Absolutely wrong!!
Ignorance and macho trips can result in terrible tragedies once in a
while, and I doubt that anyone would want that on their conscience.

Lightning hazards

Thunderstorms all produce lightning in varying amounts ...
sometimes there's just an odd flash or two ... other times, the
storms produce lightning nearly continuously, with lots of flashes to
ground. It's the flashes from the cloud to the ground (CG flashes,
for short) that create problems. They typically are only a small
percentage of the total flashes produced by a thunderstorm; most
lightning stays within the clouds. But it only takes one CG
flash to get you! The human body is basically a bag of salty water,
which conducts electricity a lot better than air, so the lightning
will often try to travel through you to reach the ground.

Lightning and thunder are so common as to seem just part of the
background. Often, as children, lightning and thunder frighten us. As
young people mature (especially boys), it becomes a "macho" thing to
show they are not afraid of a thunderstorm. Well, I'm certainly
not advocating that we over-react, and head for home at the first
sign of any thunderstorm ... but I want to suggest that we not go
to the opposite extreme and pay virtually no attention to the
threat that lightning strikes pose. Any thunderstorm should be a
matter of concern, and the campers should already know what to do if
the situation becomes hazardous.

It's pretty unlikely that you'll ever be struck by lightning.
Scientists cannot make accurate predictions of when and where
lightning will strike or how often, so for all practical purposes, it
looks pretty random. Nevertheless, more people are killed by
lightning year in and year out than by any other weather phenomenon;
typically on the order of 100 people or so annually in the United
States. Furthermore, lightning does not have to kill you to
create major problems in your life. Several hundred people are
affected by lightning in the U.S. every year, short of being killed.
To get some idea of the non-fatal hazards of lightning from a
medical point of view, check out
this site
and/or this
one. Being struck is no joke and can affect you adversely for the
rest of your life.

Anytime you're outdoors, you've increased your risk of being
struck by lightning. For example, some golfers are struck every year
... many of you may have heard the story of Lee Trevino's non-fatal
encounter! Another category of those who are at relatively high risk
includes those who climb mountains. Since a lot of wilderness
adventure camping includes hiking and camping at high elevations,
campers and hikers are considerably at risk, whether they realize it
or not. Consider the following statement from the 1997 Philmont Scout
Ranch "Guidebook to Adventure":

The summits of mountains, crests
of ridges, slopes above timberline, and large meadows are extremely
hazardous places to be during lightning storms. If you are caught in
such an exposed place, quickly descend to a lower elevation, away
from the direction of the approaching storm, and squat down or kneel
down on a pad, keeping your head low. A dense forest located in a
depression provides the best protection. Avoid taking shelter under
isolated trees or trees much taller than adjacent trees. Stay away
from water, metal fences and other objects which will conduct
electricity long distances.

By squatting or kneeling on a pad with your
feet close together you have minimal contact with the ground, thus
reducing danger from ground currents. If the threat of lightning
strikes is great, your crew should not huddle together, but spread
out at least 100 feet apart. If one member of your crew is jolted,
the rest of you can give assistance. Keep track of one another by
numbering off in a loud voice from time to time. Whenever lightning
is near, take off backpacks with either external or internal metal
frames. Be sure to pitch your tents in an area that is protected from
lightning strikes. (p.30)

Since mountain thunderstorms tend to form in the early to
mid-afternoon, it's generally advised that you do your hiking to the
high peaks starting in the early morning, so that you can be on the
way down from the peaks when the threat from thunderstorms is at its
highest. However, the weather doesn't always behave normally.
You need to keep your eyes on the sky and be prepared to
abandon your hiking plans if a thunderstorm develops
unexpectedly. You should be able to recognize developing
thunderstorms before they begin to produce lightning. Fair weather
clouds on a mountain may be puffy, but they are short and show little
or no vertical development. When they begin to tower up and build
into deep clouds with dark bases:

they are in the process of becoming thunderstorms. Sometimes, all
that they do is to tower up but, generally, when this towering
process begins, they go on to become thunderstorms. A cloud that is
tall and beginning to flatten out at the top is definitely a
thunderstorm:

If you see clouds like this around, and there are dark cloud bases
overhead, then you are in a potentially dangerous place!

The first lightning flashes will coincide roughly with the time
that rain begins; in the mountains, a lot of that rain might
evaporate before it reaches the ground. Whether it reaches the
surface or not, precipitating thunderstorms are a threat to produce
lightning! During mountain thunderstorms, the peaks can be struck
frequently and are no place for any wise hiker/camper to be.

Although lightning is seemingly random, there are some things you
can do to minimize your risks if you are caught in the open during a
thunderstorm:

Avoid being the tallest object around ... get as low as
you can, but don't lie prone on the ground. Go into a squat,
instead. If you're wearing a backpack, get it off and seek the
best shelter you can find ... the idea is not that the backpack
attracts lightning, but rather to facilitate getting to shelter
quickly. Obviously, standing on a mountaintop is asking for
major-league trouble!

It also is unwise to be near the tallest object
around, like an isolated tree. Sheltering from the rain under
a tree is often a factor in people being struck. Depressions in
the rock, or shallow caves don't offer much protection from
lightning on a mountaintop. Your best protection is to get down
from the peaks as quickly as possible. Leave your gear behind ...
whatever it contains is not worth your life! You can always go
back and retrieve it after the storm passes.

There is no "warning sign" that will tell you
reliably that lightning is about to strike; don't
depend on having your hair stand on end, or whatever. The first
sign of a CG may be the flash itself. Of course, if your hair
does stand on end, then you should take steps to protect
yourself immediately! If no suitable shelter is available, see
points #1 and #2, above.

The time from the flash to the thunder is a rough measure of
how distant the lightning is. If you see a flash and count the
seconds, five seconds corresponds to about a mile. However,
there is no distance from a thunderstorm that is
absolutely safe! If you can see the lightning,
then you are under some threat. CGs can occasionally jump out of a
thunderstorm and strike the ground miles away, seemingly "out of
the blue." What is currently being advocated is the "30-30"
rule: take shelter if the time from seeing a flash to the time
you hear thunder is 30 seconds or less, and don't resume
activities until 30 minutes have elapsed from the last lightning
and thunder.

You do not have to be directly hit by the lightning
to be affected. Lightning can travel along the ground from a
nearby strike to you. It can also jump from nearby objects that
are struck.

Avoid being near fence lines and power lines that lead into
areas where lightning is occurring. A flash can travel along
the wires and jump to you.

Go/Call for medical help immediately if someone is
struck! In the meantime, administer CPR to any lightning
strike victims if their heart has stopped and they have stopped
breathing. If they are simply not conscious, treat for shock (not
electrical shock!). Dr. Mary Ann Cooper notes that there often is
danger of hypothermia for victims, especially if they've been in
the rain, and also says:
"[I]f there is no response to the CPR after
20-30 minutes, the chances of resuscitation and recovery are
minimal. By then, the rescuers are also starting to
tire. I think rescuers who are often emotionally attached
to the individual need to know that they are not the ones that
were at fault if they cannot resuscitate someone. They
shouldn't feel they have to keep up CPR for hours, get
exhausted mentally, emotionally, and physically which may
potentially put themselves in jeopardy."

Hiking on the trail during a thunderstorm is not a wise thing to
do if you are exposed. If you're in a forest, there are many trees
about and your chances of being hit by a CG are not very high ... but
along an exposed trail, you need to abandon your backpack and get as
low as possible, again short of lying prone on the ground (see #1,
above). Regrettably, shallow caves and overhanging rocks provide only
shelter from the rain ... they do not increase your lightning safety
by very much in otherwise exposed mountain locations.

During a thunderstorm, it is likely that campers will want to stay
in their tents. This may provide shelter from the rain, but if you
lie down in the tent, you are at risk from ground currents, which
might well prefer to run through you from head to foot (or the
other way around) as you lie in contact with the ground. Such a
current flow would probably stop your heart. If you are standing up,
but with your feet spread apart, a potential (voltage) difference
could exist between your feet, encouraging current to run up one leg
and down the other. It might not stop your heart, but it probably
would be very unpleasant, given what it would be likely to
pass through on its way! Hence, when sheltering from the rain in
tents, you need to be taking steps to reduce the danger from ground
currents. I don't know to what extent air mattresses and foam pads
protect you while lying down through insulating your contact points
with the ground ... I suspect that they will not make much of a
difference!

The usual rules apply if you have chosen a campsite in an exposed
location, where your tents are the highest objects nearby. If you
have chosen your campsite unwisely in terms of lightning safety and a
thunderstorm threatens, immediately abandon such a campsite and all
your gear, and move to a better location for lightning protection.
Campsites in among many trees are probably all right, in the sense
that the chances of your particular location being struck are
pretty low. However, you could still be unlucky, and the risk from
ground currents and secondary strikes from lightning hitting nearby
trees remains. If there is no better shelter (e.g., a motor vehicle)
nearby than your tent, you will probably be lucky enough not
to be struck, but there is no doubt that a substantial risk is
associated with riding out a thunderstorm in a tent. Note that
non-metallic tent frames don't mean much of a difference from metal
frames, either, in terms of the threat. The same goes for various
forms of "insulation" between the tent and the ground ... if a
lightning flash has passed through thousands of feet of air (a
terrific insulator), a few cm of rubber or whatever isn't going to
make any difference that matters.

Being inside a vehicle places you inside a metallic "cage", and
the current of a lightning strike tends to go through that frame
rather than through you (the so-called "Faraday Cage" effect). It is
not the rubber tires that protect you!

If someone in your group is struck by lightning, their heart and
breathing may stop but they still have a chance to survive. Perform
CPR on them until professional medical help arrives (see above). Make
sure the medical team knows that they were struck by lightning, not
by electric current from household power ... the treatment for
lightning is not the same as someone that has been electrocuted by
alternating current household power: for standard electrical shock,
the medical team would administer fluids, which is the wrong thing to
do with lightning victims.

Flash Floods

After lightning, flash floods are the second most dangerous
thunderstorm hazard. Because virtually everyone has experienced rain,
and most of the time they have survived with no more than a soaking,
it's often difficult to get across the idea of the hazards of flash
floods. Unlike something exotic, like a tornado, rain is both common
and usually nothing more than a minor annoyance. Nevertheless, rains
can pose a serious danger to campers. Consider the following
statement from the 1997 Philmont Scout Ranch "Guidebook to
Adventure":

Thread-like streams can become
raging rivers in a few minutes or even seconds. It is important to be
alert to the possibility of flash floods and take steps to avoid a
dangerous encounter. Pitch your tents on higher ground. During and
after periods of heavy rain, stay away from natural drainage areas.
Never attempt to cross a stream that is over knee deep on anyone in
the crew. Retreat to the nearest staffed camp and request an
itinerary change. Always know where you are and how to get to higher
ground. Watch for indicators of flash flooding such as an increase in
the speed or volume of stream flow. Stay out of flood waters and
narrow canyons. (p.30)

This is excellent advice to Philmont campers, of course.

Campers encounter a threat from rain in two distinctly different
situations. Since most of us travel to camping situations by motor
vehicle, one way to encounter a flash flood is driving to or
from a camping experience. An extremely common way for people to die
in flash floods is by driving into rising waters. There are some ways
to prevent this from being a problem:

Never drive into water if you don't know
exactly how deep the water is! Some low water crossings
in the U.S. have signs showing how deep the water is ... if you
aren't sure, don't drive into it. It only takes about 18-24 inches
of water to float most motor vehicles. Once the vehicle is afloat,
it is out of the driver's control and goes whichever way the water
dictates.

[uncopyrighted image]

Don't underestimate the power of moving water. Water
moving in streams and rivers at high speeds, as it often does
during flash flood events, can sweep a vehicle away far more
easily than most people imagine. Also, rapidly-moving water often
contains debris such as trees, propane tanks, and even boulders
rolling along just under the surface. If you are struck by this
debris, your vehicle can be knocked off a bridge or water crossing
and swept away before you know it. Note also that it doesn't take
very much "moving water power" to knock you off your feet when
crossing a stream.

River floods, where the water rises relatively slowly over a
period of several hours, are not as dangerous as flash flood. In
flash floods, the water can rise several feet or more in just a
few minutes. It may not come as a classic "wall of water" that you
can see and hear coming, but rapidly-rising water can overtake a
vehicle easily before the driver can react. If you have reason
to believe that a flash flood may be in progress (see
below), stay out of low water crossings and streams
entirely.

All of these things apply to campers out of their vehicles and
simply walking along a trail, or camped by the side of that
picturesque stream. Campers also may pick a spot close to a stream in
order to have easy access to water. Although camping near streams is
understandable, it involves some risk. If you are in rough terrain,
such as canyons or in the mountains, you are in particular danger by
camping in stream beds, or even hiking along them. To minimize your
danger, consider the following:

You need to stay tuned into what the weather is doing
upstream if you are going to hike canyons and valleys.
Rain need not be heavy and may not even be falling where you are,
in order for the stream to be swept by a flash flood. Rain
upstream, perhaps many miles away, can roar down a canyon or
valley and catch you completely by surprise. An approaching flash
flood typically will be manifested as rising waters, rather than
the so-called "wall of water" ... however, if flood debris creates
a temporary damming effect somewhere upstream, when that debris
dam breaks, the result can be a "wall of water" roaring
down the stream.

Flash floods are most common at night! Never camp on the
flat near a stream or in a canyon; always try to locate your
camp on ground that is significantly higher than the stream or
canyon. In spite of the trouble and effort this may involve, you
should avoid be caught by a surprise flash flood at night. If, for
some reason, you must camp in a location that could be
swept by a flash flood at night, have an escape route planned
in advance and make sure everyone knows about it. See the next
item.

Climb to safety! If a flash flood is catching you
during a hike or in camp, you cannot outrun it; so drop
your backbacks and climb as fast as you can. If you are in
your tents, leave all your gear and climb to high ground. You
don't own any gear that is more important than your life. Avoid
situations where climbing would be impossible unless you can be
absolutely certain that it's not going to rain upstream ... and
you can never be certain!

If you are by a stream and the water begins rising rapidly,
treat the situation as if it is a flash flood. Although the
"wall of water" phenomenon is rare (as noted above), rising water
can be followed literally by something very much like a "wall of
water" ... as noted, this can be caused by the failure of debris
dams upstream. The power of moving water is substantially
increased when it is loaded with debris (mud, rocks, trees,
broken-up structures, etc.), of course.

Thunderstorms in the mountains can come up seemingly out of
nowhere, but they really do have some precursor signs, as I have
shown above. Large thunderheads show storms already in progress. If
the storms don't seem to be moving or new ones are constantly forming
where the old ones were earlier, then you may be seeing a flash flood
situation developing.

Although heavy rain is often accompanied by frequent lightning,
this is not always the case. Some flash flood-producing heavy
rains will not have much lightning at all. If the storms don't seem
to be moving very rapidly, you need to be alerted to the potential
for flash floods. Storms that move by in 20 mins or so are probably
not going to pose much of a threat of flash floods. However, when new
storms pass over ground soaked by previous storms, they have a
greater flash flood threat than their predecessors ... if the region
is soaked by earlier rains, a lot of the water can't be absorbed by
the saturated soil, so it runs off at high rates into streams. Rocky,
mountainous terrain can't absorb much rainfall at any time, so
mountain streams (even dry ones) can become hazardous very quickly!

Flash floods occur most often late in the evening and at night.
Obviously, this also is not true every time, but it does mean
that storms you see nearby or experience directly at night are not
something to be treated lightly.

Non-tornadic severe thunderstorms

Thunderstorms are considered severe whenever they produce one or
more of the following: a tornado, hail that is 3/4 in or larger in
diameter, or wind gusts (not associated with tornadoes) approaching
60 mph.

Hail

Large hailstones occasionally can be dangerous ... during a
tremendous hailstorm in the Dallas, TX area in 1995, more than 100
people were injured by hail up to 4 inches in diameter. A
hailstone the diameter of a golfball (roughly 1 3/4 inches) can
produce an injury, especially if it strikes a person's head. A
hailstone the diameter of a baseball (2 3/4 inches) falls at a speed
comparable to that of a pitched baseball ... on the order of 100 mph.
It's like being hit by a "beanball" thrown by a major league pitcher
... an injury from such a stone can be serious, or even fatal.

The chances of encountering hard-frozen hailstones that large on a
camping trip are pretty small. The odds aren't of much comfort if it
begins to happen where you are, though! Sometimes large hailstones
are sort of "mushy" ... more like a snowball. Even a relatively large
stone that is mushy will not present much danger, whereas a
hard-frozen stone can produce serious injuries.

Winds

Strong winds, not associated with a tornado, can become very
dangerous, especially if you are hiking or camping in a forest. Often
the trees at high elevation have shallow root systems and are fairly
easy for the wind to blow down. In some rare storms, many thousands
of acres of trees have been flattened by the storm's wind gusts.
Obviously, being in a forest during one of these "blowdowns" would be
very perilous for campers. It's basically not possible just to look
at an approaching storm and know how strong the winds are.

The leading edge of the strong winds is often marked by a "shelf
cloud" or "roll cloud" ... an example of a shelf cloud on the plains
is shown in the picture
above.
In the mountains, a cloud marking the leading edge of the winds might
be a lot more ragged than the example shown. If you see one of these
approaching, be prepared to seek shelter from the winds and the
flying, falling debris the winds might cause. You will need to find a
place where you can be protected from falling limbs and even falling
trees. Note that being in a forest might offer some "protection"
against lightning, but it's a bad place to be in a severe
windstorm. Falling branches (and even whole trees) are quite
possible, even with windspeeds of "only" 50 mph or so.

Any thunderstorm can produce 30-50 mph winds, especially in the
mountains. Since mountain air tends to be dry, evaporating rain from
mountain storms produces cool air, which descends rapidly and spreads
out in what are called
"microbursts."
Note that if you get wet in a mountain thunderstorm at high
elevation, you are vulnerable to hypothermia, even if the
storm isn't severe enough to cause you other problems. Having proper
rain gear and using it can save your life in the mountains.

In a few rare events, large hailstones combine with strong
winds to produce a dangerous barrage of wind-driven hail and damaging
winds. Such storms are rare, but certainly could be a serious threat
to campers, who may not hear any warnings that normally reach people
by radio and television. If such a storm develops, your only hope is
to find shelter from the flying hail and debris.

Tornadoes

Generally speaking, tornadoes are rare, even in the places where
they occur most often. You could live in the middle of "Tornado
Alley" for 1000 years and never experience a direct hit from a
tornado. Many of the mountainous regions favored for outdoor
wilderness camping are much less likely to experience tornadoes even
than that. However, the fact that tornadoes are rare in general, and
even more rare in certain parts of the country, does not mean
that tornadoes only happen to Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Tornadoes
have been reported in every state in the United States, and at every
hour of the day and night. There certainly have been tornadoes in
mountainous regions all over the west, including a large and
violent tornado in the Grand Teton Wilderness of Wyoming, so
just being in the high country does not mean you can
ignore completely any threat of tornadoes!

Tornadoes are most common on the Great and High Plains regions of
the United States, in the early to late spring. Although it is very
unlikely that you will ever encounter a tornado on a summer camping
trip in the mountains, nevertheless it does not hurt to be
prepared, right? After all, something like 1000 tornadoes are
reported in the U. S. Every year, some of them are bound to strike
something or someone! It's always possible to be unlucky. Besides,
not all camping trips take place in the mountains ... there are many
tornado-vulnerable camping locations throughout the eastern 2/3 of
the United States.

If you are caught during highway travel to or from camp, it
may be possible simply to drive away from a tornado. If
you are in open country and your road options let you drive at
right angles to the direction the tornado is moving, the best
strategy is to head off to the right of the tornado's movement: if
it's moving east, drive south away from it, and so on. This
strategy requires you to be able to assess accurately the
direction of tornado movement ... sometimes tornadoes change
direction and speed of movement, so be prepared to adjust your
tactics!

It is almost always possible to outrun a tornado in a motor
vehicle as long as the road and traffic permit free
movement. Tornadoes occasionally move at 60+ miles per hour,
but most of them don't go nearly that fast. If you are on a road
that permits you to drive safely at speeds of 60 mph or faster,
you probably can outrun any tornado ... however, I recommend that
you only do so until you reach a road that allows you to travel at
right angles to the tornado's path (see the preceding discussion).
You get out of danger from a tornado most quickly (in just
seconds, usually) by moving directly out of its path!

If your road options don't permit such maneuvers, abandon
your vehicle and seek the best shelter nearby you can find
(see below). Most injuries in tornadoes come from being struck by
flying debris. Therefore, you want to get low and out of the wind.
Vehicles are often picked up and tumbled, sometimes being smashed
into something that looks like a "carball" such that no one would
survive inside the vehicle.

When camping or hiking, outrunning an approaching tornado may not
be an option (unlike the end of the movie "Twister"). Given that many
tornadoes develop from thunderstorms that are already severe in terms
of ordinary wind and large hail, you should already be taking steps
to protect yourself from a truly severe thunderstorm.

Find the best shelter from flying debris you can.
Ditches, caves, and so on will work. Don't count on some flimsy
outbuilding or mountain cabin to protect you ... a tornado can
disintegrate flimsy buildings and turn the pieces into high-speed
missles. Obviously, a tent is virtually the same as no shelter at
all. Your best best is to get low and out of the wind. The
majority of tornado casualties are from being struck by flying
objects, so the idea is to get out of harm's way.

Cover your head with your hands (or some better
protection if you have it) to give yourself the best protection
from flying debris.

Find something to hang onto if your shelter from the
wind is not complete. Becoming airborne is a distinct possibility,
so you don't want the wind to get under you and lift you into the
air.

Learn how to recognize a tornado. Not all
tornadoes look the same. A tornado's funnel-shaped cloud, if it
has one,
does
not have to touch the ground for it to be a true tornado. The
tornado is the wind, not the cloud ... if
there is debris beneath a funnel cloud, it is a tornado..
Some tornadoes appear as a dark, boiling mass of clouds on the
ground. A tornado in the mountains might look very much like a
dust devil ... except that
the
dust and debris at the surface is beneath a dark thunderstorm
base, not occurring on a sunny, nearly cloudless afternoon. If
you don't recognize a tornado coming until it's too late, all the
knowledge in the world can't help you.

Don't depend on hearing a tornado ... not all
tornadoes make a lot of noise until they are very close to
you. Keep your eyes open in the wilderness, especially if there
are thunderstorms about.

Final thoughts

Generally speaking, you as a camper are responsible for your own
safety. In spite of numerous efforts to alert folks to the dangers
associated with thunderstorms during camping season, many fail to
heed good advice even when they hear it. Regrettably, most people
tend to downplay these threats and may be completely ignorant of
these dangers. In my opinion, ignorance in this matter is
inexcusable. If campers wait until they themselves have
experienced thunderstorm-related weather hazards to take their threat
seriously, by then, it's often too late ... the first time may be
enough for a tragedy. Having escaped unharmed numerous times in
the past is no guarantee that you will continue to be lucky! A
foolish risk, taken many times with no harm, is still a foolish risk
... it only takes one lightning flash over a 30-year camping
career to ruin your life. In my opinion, being killed is among the
least harmful things that can happen to you ... as I see it,
I'd hate to be responsible for someone else being killed or
injured in a way that ruins their life, by having encouraged them to
ignore proper safety precautions. Having that on your conscience
would be a lot worse than being killed yourself! Please don't
become another summer camping statistic yourself, and don't let
anyone in your care become one, either!

A lightning flash nearing the ground during its descent has found
a path through thousands of feet of air, which acts as an excellent
insulator. The presence or absence of a metallic object in your
vicinity is very unlikely to make any meaningful difference in the
threat from that approaching lightning channel. If you are attached
to a wire or metal object that reaches well up above your
surroundings, that would make a difference! Otherwise, none of the
objects in your immediate vicinity will have a signifiicant effect on
your risk of being struck by lightning. Your body .... essentially a
bag of salty water (plus assorted chemicals) ... is already an
excellent conductor of electricity and a thin insulating layer (like
a wooden floor, or rubber-soled shoes) is not going to stop a flash
from going through you to the ground. Such things also will neither
protect you from, nor enhance your chances of, being hit by ground
currents or side flashes from a lightning flash hitting
nearby. Please remember ... the flash has gone through thousands
of feet of insulating air even before it got close to you.
All these nearby objects are virtually irrelevant.

2. If we have to go through an open area in order to reach
shelter in a thunderstorm, should we do it?

If the lightning is already occurring near you, do not move
into an open area wherein you would be the tallest object around.
It's too late and you would be better off staying in an area
surrounded by trees or other tall objects than taking a chance
crossing an open area. If the lightning is not yet in your immediate
vicinity but is approaching (the time from flash-to-bang is getting
shorter), then if you have time to cross the open area to reach a
better shelter, then do so quickly so that you're not caught in the
open. If the flash-to-bang time is less than about 30 seconds, then
you are most likely better off with the shelter you have.

3. Suppose we're caught on a hike by an approaching tornado.
Should we seek shelter in ditches or ravines?

Sheltering in ditches or ravines is, at best, a poor choice that
is only a last resort. First of all, make certain that you are
actually in the path of the tornado ... if it is not moving
right-to-left or left-to-right, then it may be headed toward you. In
the absence of a proper shelter (a cave, or some way to get below
ground level), your best hope is to see if you can get out of the
path in time. If the tornado is moving too rapidly for this to work,
then a ditch or ravine may be your only option. When sheltering in a
ditch, as noted above, cover your head with whatever you can, since
ditches are often a place where debris is deposited ... but it is
preferable to being hit by flying debris, or being carried by the
tornadic winds, which is how most people are iinjured in tornadoes.
The problem with ditches and ravines in thunderstorms is that they
might be swept by flash floods. Actually, it is very unlikely that
you would be threatened by a tornado on a camping outing. Flash
floods during thunderstorms, however, are much more likely.

4. Should we carry a battery-powered NOAA Weather Radio with us
on our outings?

Provided you are likely to be constantly in range of a NOAA
Weather Radio transmitter, I think this is an excellent idea!
These are inexpensive, relatively light, and only one is needed for
each group. Please check beforehand to determine whether or not your
outing will be in range of a transmitter, though. You can check with
the local office of the National Weather Service for information
regarding the coverage areas for NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts.