Jacksonville, Fl — Our stormy weather pattern is peaking, and a danger we’ve seen numerous times this week is lightning.
“Make sure you respect lightning and get inside and indoors as soon as you hear thunder or see lightning if it’s at all anywhere close to you”, said Action News Jax Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh.
A fire on Wednesday night off Gate Parkway in Deerwood was started by lightning. It started on Castleman Circle West. No injuries were reported.
A 136 acre brush fire in Bartram Park is nearly 100% contained. It was likely started by a lightning strike according to the Florida Forest Service.
JFRD says a fire on Independence Day at a condo complex in Mandarin was started by lightning. 20 people were forced out of their homes at the Summer Grove Condos. They are being aided by the Red Cross.
LISTEN: Mike Buresh ‘All the Weather, All the Time’ Podcast
Lightning strikes the United States about 25 million times a year, according to the National Weather Service. Lightning kills about 20 people in the United States each year, and hundreds more are severely injured.
Already this year there have been 6 confirmed lightning-related deaths, one in Brevard County, Florida.
Lightning: What You Need to Know
- NO PLACE outside is safe when thunderstorms are in the area!!
- If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you.
- When you hear thunder, immediately move to safe shelter: a substantial building with electricity or plumbing or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with windows up.
- Stay in safe shelter at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder.
Indoor Lightning Safety
- Stay off corded phones, computers and other electrical equipment that put you in direct contact with electricity.
- Avoid plumbing, including sinks, baths and faucets.
- Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
- Do not lie on concrete floors, and do not lean against concrete walls.
Last Resort Outdoor Risk Reduction Tips
If you are caught outside with no safe shelter anywhere 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
- Never shelter under an isolated tree
- Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter
- Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water
- Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills, etc.)