Thunderstruck

When putting together a summer jam mix program on your smartphone, there are plenty of selections from which to choose.This includes if you want to create a “bad weather” playlist, where songs such as AC/DC's “Thunderstruck” are among the options.

But there’s a big difference between Thunderstruck and lightning struck. In particular, thunder cannot strike anyone; lightning strikes happen all too often, and can have devastating consequences. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which runs the National Weather Service, notes that around 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes occur in the United States every year, and during the past 30 years, the U.S. has averaged 49 lightning fatalities annually.

Which explains why once a year, the NOAA designates Lightning Safety Awareness Week as an opportunity to remind people about the perils electrical discharges from the clouds above can have. And Florida residents should be extra wary when it comes to lightning fatalities; according to the NOAA, from 2005-14, The Sunshine State ranked first in the nation in terms of death by lightning, with 47 such reported fatalities - more than twice as many as second-ranked Texas, with had 20.

Men account for about 80 percent of lightning deaths in the United States and almost all occur outside. In fact, most victims are engaged in leisure activities, an nearly half of the water-related fatalities are from those fishing. Surprisingly, in the sports-related category, soccer takes the No. 1 spot, not golf.

Most lightning victims are not struck during the worst of a thunderstorm, but rather before or after the storm reaches its greatest intensity. This is in part because most people don’t stay outside during the most intense moments of a thunderstorm; however, many people are unaware lightning can strike as far as 25 miles away from its parent thunderstorm, much farther out from the area of rainfall within the storm.

Avoiding to the NOAA, the safest location during a thunderstorm is inside a large enclosed structure with plumbing and electrical wiring. These include shopping centers, schools, office buildings, and private residences. If lightning strikes the building, the plumbing and wiring will conduct the electricity and eventually direct it into the ground.

If no substantial buildings are available, then an enclosed metal vehicle such as an automobile, van, or school bus would be a suitable alternative.

However, buildings with exposed sides are not safe (even if they are "grounded"). These include beach shacks, metal sheds, picnic shelters/pavilions, carports, and baseball dugouts. Porches are dangerous as well. Additionally, convertible vehicles offer no safety from lightning, even if the top is up. Other vehicles which are not safe during thunderstorms are those with open cabs, such as golf carts, tractors, and construction equipment.

The best advice comes from the National Weather Service: When thunder roars, go indoors. For more information, go to the NOAA lightning safety web page: http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/.