Summer Lightning Season is Almost Here – Here are 4 Resources for Learning More and Staying Safe!

With Summer just around the corner in the Northern Hemisphere, Summer Lightning Season is almost here!  In order to learn more about Lightning and Thunderstorms so that you can do your best to stay safe during the season when outdoor activity and thunderstorm activity are both at their peaks…here are 4 Useful Lightning and Thunderstorm related resources!

These tips and information will be useful for any location around the world with a moderate threat of lightning and thunderstorm activity, so don’t hesitate to share them with others!

Learn About Staying Safe During a Thunderstorm

Have you ever wanted to learn more about how to stay safe during thunderstorm season…?  This NOAA webpage includes proper planning and weather forecast-watching, but also what to do if you are caught in a dangerous situation outdoors.  Follow the link to learn more and jump to the NOAA page!

Summer Lightning Safety – Featured Link (NOAA)

Track Lightning and Thunderstorm Activity – Nearby or Across the World!

Did you know that there are real-time Lightning activity tracking systems available, where you can check for current lightning and thunderstorm activity all around the world?  Primary coverage of the Real Time Lightning Map system is in Europe and North America, but the areas covered are expanding all the time!  Now you can check out activity in your area, or the area you are planning to visit, and make more intelligent decisions with regard to Lightning and Thunderstorm safety!

Real-Time Lightning Map – Featured Link

The Science Behind Lightning and Its Awesome Power

Lightning strikes can be such awe-inspiring natural events, with the power to light up the night sky, travel 10s of miles, and enough energy to start fires and melt metal in their path! Learn more about the science behind Thunderstorms and the Lightning they produce by following the link to our previous post, where you can find the link to wired.com’s original article.

The Science Behind Lightning’s Electric Shows – Featured Link (Wired)

Watch Ultra-Slow Motion Video of Lightning Bolts – They Reveal Lightning’s Secrets!

Lightning Strikes form and disappear so quickly, (they are over within 200 microseconds, or <.0002 Seconds!) that it is difficult for the human eye and brain to process as anything other than a rapid single or multiple flash.  However, the formation of a lightning bolt is actually an intricate and multi-step process that is much more complex than we have believed for most of human history.  With the advent of ultra-slow motion video cameras, lightning strikes can be captured during their formation stages all the way through their connection and peak current flow (the brightest flash which results in Thunder.)

Ultra Slow Motion Video of Lightning Strikes! – Featured Link (YouTube)