Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

JULY SAFETY BRIEFING

Lightning Safety

New Mexico Wing Civil Air PatrolSafety Briefing

July 2015

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

JULY SAFETY BRIEFING

Lightning Safety

July-August weather includes numerous thunderstorms characterized by abundant lightning bolts and strikes

Lightning kills more Americans each year than tornadoes and hurricanes.

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

2 Colorado Lightning Deaths

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Friday Rebecca Teilhet, 42, of Yellow Springs, Ohio, was killed and seven more hikers were injured.

One day later and a few miles away, lightning killed Gregory Cardwell, 52, of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Three others were hurt by that strike.

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

JULY SAFETY BRIEFING

• Videos• http://youtu.be/BIv5HQzdY9I• http://youtu.be/1Pg6JQgjKnI

Lightning Safety

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

Lightning

• Speed : 136,000 mph • Temperature: 30,000°C (54,000°F)

• Hot enough to fuse soil or sand into glass channels.

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Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

KINDS

• Streak lightning: ionized channel visible as a single wiggly line.

• Forked lightning: appears to have branches. • Bead lightning: small sections of the channel remain bright

longer than others. • Sheet lightning: general illumination occurring inside clouds. • Heat lightning: sheet lightning seen on the horizon, too far

away for its thunder to be heard and it often looks red. • Ball lightning: rare floating ball, grapefruit to bus size

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Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

JULY SAFETY BRIEFING

Types of Lightning

Sheet

Streak

Ball

Ball

Bead

Forked

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

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Elves 300K ft

150K ft

36K ft

Red Sprites

Blue Jets 70K ft

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

Lightning

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Intra-Cloud

Cloud-Cloud

Cloud-Ground

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

Lightning

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Intra-Cloud

Cloud-Cloud

Cloud-Ground

+ + + + + ++ + + +

- - - - - - - - -

+ + + + + +

+ + + +

- - - - - - - - - -- - -

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

JULY SAFETY BRIEFING

Lightning Danger

• Danger exists within 10 miles of a lightning storm (Thunder can be heard over only 3-4 miles.)

• Most often involved in outside work or recreational activities

• Odds of being killed:• Earthquake 1:11 million• Tornado 1:1 million• Lightning 1:600,000

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

JULY SAFETY BRIEFING

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

Lightning

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Intra-Cloud

Cloud-Cloud

Cloud-Ground

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

Lightning

• Speed : 136,000 mph • Temperature: 30,000°C (54,000°F)

• Hot enough to fuse soil or sand into glass channels.

JULY SAFETY BRIEFING

Barbed wire fence

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

Lightning

• Speed : 136,000 mph • Temperature: 30,000°C (54,000°F)

• Hot enough to fuse soil or sand into glass channels.

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NM ranks 11-20

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

JULY SAFETY BRIEFING

Imminent Lightning Danger

• Darkening skies and wind

• If you hear thunder, you are in danger

• Look for lightning

• Hair begins to stand on end

• Buzzing noise in ears

• Drop to the ground!

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

JULY SAFETY BRIEFING

Lightning Storm Outside – what to do?

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

JULY SAFETY BRIEFING

• Direct -- i.e. Windows or doors, patio, decks• Electrical wiring, reception, plumbing• Concrete flooring or walls

Lightning entering a building

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

JULY SAFETY BRIEFING

• Move to the center rooms of your home• Don’t use connected electrical equipment such as

• Toaster• Computer• Corded phone**• TV

• Don't use tub, shower• Don't use washer/dryer

Lightning Storm Inside – what to do?

Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

LightningWeb resources

• http://www.weather.gov/om/brochures/ttl.pdf– Thunderstorms, Tornados, and Lightning

– U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

– National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

– National Weather Service

• http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/– “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!

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Joseph R. Perea, MD, LtCol, CAPNM Wing Director of Safety

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• Questions?

• Personal experiences?

Lightning Safety