Who gets struck by lightning?

In previous Updraft posts, I have discussed, as part of Lightning Safety Awareness Week, how lightning works and how lightning strikes people. Although most lightning remains in the clouds, the bolts that injure and kill people are cloud-to-ground strokes.

Lightning data long have showed that men, especially young men, are the most likely to be injured or killed by lightning. Historically, many men worked outdoors, often far from shelter and medical treatment, so that might have been a major factor.

A recent study from the National Weather Service looked at lightning deaths in the U.S. during 2006-2013. Of the 261 people killed by lightning during that period, a remarkable 81 percent were men and just 19 percent were women. The reasons could be many. Among them are that men are still more likely to work outdoors than are women, and they might do more outdoor recreation. It is also possible that men might be more reluctant than women to seek shelter when storms approach or develop. I will leave that one for the sociologists.

The most lightning-dangerous activities

Do you think that golf is the most dangerous recreational activity when it comes to lightning? If so, then you would be incorrect. Golfers have been told repeatedly how dangerous lightning is, and some golf courses even have lightning alert systems to call golfers to shelter.

By far the leader for most deaths during a recreational activity is fishing (11 percent of all). Fishermen/women often are in an open boat where they are the highest point around, and they are far from shelter. Fishing is followed by camping and boating with about half as many deaths.

Soccer led the list as the sport with the most lightning deaths (five percent).

Golf, by the way, had three percent of the deaths, the same as yard work and walking to/from or waiting for vehicles.

There are some patterns as to what turn normal human activities into risky behaviors. One theme is waiting too long to take shelter. In particular, people tend to delay getting off lakes and are struck as they head for shore. Other people are struck as they head for shelter in buildings or vehicles.

Another risky behavior is not having access to shelter when thunderstorms are active. Examples would be going out for a run, hike or bicycle ride when the upstream sky as dark in summer.

A more subtle risky behavior is thinking you are sheltered and protected when you are not. Examples of unsafe structures would be tents, garages and bus shelters. To be protected from lightning, you need to be in a structure that is large enough to absorb the charge and, hopefully, be able to conduct the current to the ground without allowing it to pass through you. For example, if you are standing in a garage or roofed patio, lightning could strike the roof and jump to your head to take a shortcut through your body to the ground.

You are safest inside a substantial building, not using anything plugged in including corded phones, and staying away from plumbing as wires and pipes can conduct lightning into and through a building.

Metal-roofed vehicles such as cars and tractors with cabs usually will divert the charge to the ground and protect you, but much is likely to go wrong with the vehicle as the lightning courses through it and it might become extremely non-operative immediately. Rubber tires on cars, motorcycles and bicycles do not provide any protection from lightning from above, nor do rubber-soled shoes, but could provide some protection from ground current if the lightning strikes nearby rather than directly. Don't plan on being lucky with lightning, however.