Approximately 25 million lightning strikes occur in the United States each year; slightly less that one per second. You can see what this means at blitzortung.org. Using data collected from detectors around the country, the website’s map emits a click and flashes a circle every time lightning strikes. The colored dots indicate where lightning has… Read more »
Summer brings baseball, soccer, boating, golf, and other outdoor recreation… plus increased thunderstorm and lightning. Because most lightning deaths and injuries occur outdoors, this is a good time to review lightning safety guidelines, especially if you coach a team or are responsible for the safety of participants and spectators. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association states:… Read more »
Sophisticated building owners overwhelmingly require lightning protection for their buildings. The University of Virginia, for example, states in its Facility Design Guidelines, “The most recent edition of NFPA 780 shall be used to evaluate a lightning protection system and to determine if a system is required. For new facilities, roof replacements, and solar array installations the A/E… Read more »