SWAW Day 3 Topic: Lightning

03/10/2010
Welcome to Day Three of Severe Weather Awareness Week! Today we will be looking at Lightning! WHAT IS LIGHTNING1/2 Lightning is an electrical discharge that results from the buildup of positive and negative charges within a thunderstorm. When the buildup becomes strong enough, lightning appears as a "bolt". This flash of light usually occurs within the clouds or between the clouds and the ground. A bolt of lightning reaches a temperature approaching 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit in a split second. The rapid heating and cooling of air near the lightning causes thunder. DID YOU KNOW. * Lightning bolts can strike up to 10 miles from their parent cloud into regions with blue skies. (Bolt from the Blue) * Temperature of lightning: estimated 50,000 F (5 times hotter than the surface of the sun) * Odds of being struck by lightning: approx. 1 in 600,000 * 9 out of 10 lightning bolts strike the continents rather than oceans. 30/30 LIGHTNING SAFETY RULE: Go indoors if, after seeing lightning, you cannot count to 30 before hearing thunder. Stay indoors for 30 minutes after hearing the last clap of thunder. For more information on Severe Weather Safety or Preparedness contact Douglas County Emergency Management-111 East 11th St., Unit 200 Lawrence, KS 66044-www.douglas-county.com-(785) 832-5259. Follow us on Facebook (www.thefacebook.com/dgcoem) and Twitter (dgcoem).

Related Links:
Douglas County EM Website - http://douglas-county.com/depts/em/em_home.aspx
Day 3 Topic: Lightning - http://www.douglas-county.com/depts/em/preparedness/docs/pdf/severeweatherawareweek_day3.pdf

Media Contact:
Jillian Rodrigue, Assistant Director
Emergency Management Department
785-838-2459
jrodrigue@douglas-county.com