Do you know what to do when lightning strikes nearby?
Aug 19, 2024, 7:00 PM
A vehicle drives past the spreading River Fire Thursday, July 25, 2024, near Myrtle, Idaho, before U.S. Highway 12 was closed. Lightning strikes have sparked fast-moving wildfires in Idaho, prompting the evacuation of multiple communities. (August Frank/Lewiston Tribune via AP)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(August Frank/Lewiston Tribune via AP)
SALT LAKE CITY — As lightning storms sweep up from the south, they unleash much needed water for Utah. But, they also unleash dangerous circumstances.
Early Sunday in Box Elder County, lighting struck three anglers in a boat on the Bear River. The boat capsized. Two survivors made it to shore but were hospitalized; the third died.
In late June, lightning struck near a church hiking group in Sevier County, sending seven young people to the hospital.
If you can see lightning or hear thunder, find shelter
KSL Meteorologist Kevin Eubank reminded listeners to take lightning deadly serious, because lightning is the number one weather-related killer in Utah.
The rule to staying safe outside during a thunderstorm is this: “If you can see lightning, you need to move. If you can hear thunder, you’re close enough to get struck by lightning,” Eubank said.
He said the lightning accompanying the monsoon rains taps into deep moisture in the Pacific Ocean or Gulf of Mexico. Arriving in Utah, the thunderstorms are amplified by the shift in elevation as they rise over the mountains and the summer heat.
“They just explode,” Eubank said.
Thunderstorms rumbling in the distance are a good reminder for coaches to pull their players off the field and move inside a structure for protection.
“We don’t often get these big electrical storms. But when we do, they’re generally in July and August. It’s some of the the wildest thunderstorms that we can get here,” Eubank said.
The weather outlook shows a break from the storms midweek. But, they will bubble back up over the weekend, he said.
