I heard later reports that at least two of them did seek shelter underneath a tree, which is something you never want to do if lightning is possible. Trees are favorite targets for lightning. Not only can the lightning jump from the tree to you, But when lightning hits a tree, the tree can explode. Definitely worth a look Just before the 50 second mark
The safest place to be is inside of a metal building or a car - not because of the tires, but because it's a metal box - a Faraday Cage. Next safest is a stick house. But stay away from any wires or pipes. One of the most common ways to get killed was to be on an old landline telephone during a storm. The voltage from a nearby strike follows the wire right into your brain. A strike can come in your home through your power wires and pipes, and your internet and cable service. My mother was hit by a bolt from the kitchen sink faucet when a strike hit a nearby tree. She was fine but it shook her up for sure. If caught outside with no shelter nearby, the safest thing is to get as low as you can and stand on one foot or with your feet as close together as possible. If the lightning hits near you, what can kill you is the voltage difference between your feet. Entire herds of cattle have been killed like this. They didn't get hit, but the radical change in the potential across the ground killed them. If standing on one foot you can often ride it out much like a surfer who bobs up and down with the waves.
PS, if you feel the hair on your arms standing on end during a lightning storm, you are likely being targeted. The storm is liking your area for a strike.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/washington-lightning-couple-killed-1.6543311 "The Muellers were on a trip to Washington to celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary, according to their niece, Michelle McNett, of Janesville." wow, sad, but at least they went together and from the article lived a full loving life
I read about this last night. There was a fourth person wasn't there? Maybe that means they are still fighting to survive. Tragic, but I guess the best way to go is with your life partner so neither suffers.
One of the most amazing things I've seen was on a local news report somewhere in the Los Angeles area, when I was fairly young. They sent a news crew to the house where it happened and documented the damage. Some poor guy was sleeping in his bedroom during a storm. Lightning hit his wall, came through the wall, traveled around the bedroom following the wall IIRC, and then went back out the wall where it came in. There were to big black blast marks where it went through the wall and scorch marks all around the bedroom. Did I mention that you aren't completely safe even in a house and away from any wires and pipes? But fairly safe. I knew a guy whose house was hit by lightning when he was young. The lightning followed one of the tack boards filled with nails that hold down the carpet. He said the magnetic field from the high current lifted all of the nails in the board. [ferrous materials seek the center of the magnetic field, which is how a solenoid works]
This is old but still a fantastic overview of the basics of lightning. Did you know you can charge a water bucket to hundreds of volts by letting it drip? From one of the greatest minds in modern physics - Richard P Feynman. https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/II_09.html
LOL! No but studying lightning gives one a whole new perspective. I used to run outside to watch lightning storms. Not anymore! I had a very close call as well. Once many years ago before I had studied lightning, a storm was approaching from the South. We were on the second floor and I ran out to watch the approaching lightning. Suddenly I heard a loud whooshing sound that I now know was the electric wind preceding a strike. Then BOOM!!! The light and sound were exactly at the same time as near as I could tell. That and the fact that I heard the electric wind means it was very very close. It had to have gone right past me.
To be more accurate, it wasn't so much a whooshing sound, but more like a buzzing sound that lasted for about a second and went from a higher to a lower pitch.
Simple, get under some real cover, or lie down in place. What, do they seriously not teach what to do during lightning storms anymore?
