In the United States, lightning kills an average of 66 people per year and injures another 300, according to the National Weather Service.
Use the following tips to stay safe during storms:

• If you’re close enough to the storm to hear thunder, you’re most likely close enough to be struck by lightning. Seek shelter immediately.

• Do not seek shelter under trees, picnic or rain shelters or in open-frame vehicles.

• Don’t plug in or unplug anything electrical during the storm.

• Don’t use corded telephones – phone use is the number one cause of indoor lightning injuries in the United States.

• Avoid contact with water, pipes, washers or dryers.

• If you can’t find shelter in a building or in a closed-frame vehicle, keep your feet together and sit on the ground away from water, high ground or open spaces.

• If a person is struck by lightning, call 911 and care for the victim immediately. You can not be harmed by touching the victim after he or she has been struck.

Many lightning victims are caught outside during a storm because they did not act promptly to get to a safe place, or they go back outside after the storm has passed. Be weather aware and keep yourself and those around you safe!