Sea, sand, swaying palms and a sunny subtropical climate make Florida No. 1 on many must-visit lists. But Florida is also No. 1 on a list you won’t hear about from the Chamber of Commerce: Florida is the lightning capital of the world. As a matter of fact, only last Wednesday, there were a recorded 123,650 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes – in Florida alone.
“And that doesn’t even count cloud-to-cloud lightning,” says Dr. John Fernandez.
Globally, in any given 24-hour period during the thunderstorm season, there are an estimated 1 million to 10 million lightning strikes.
Worldwide estimates are that between 6,000 and 24,000 people are killed by lightning in a year, with another quarter-million injured. Of those struck, about 10% die.
Fernandez, a Sebastian River Medical Center emergency physician, a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and a graduate of the Medical School at USF in Tampa, came to Sebastian about a year ago after three years at the West Palm Beach Hospital and a decade at Martin Memorial before that.
Growing up in Miami, Fernandez says, “My brother and I spent a lot time in the water, and developed a fascination for the biological sciences. We’d see the Coast Guard rescues and watch the paramedics work.”
Both brothers eventually became MDs. Then, as a med student in Tampa, Fernandez learned (and experienced for himself) that Tampa is considered Thunderstorm Capital of the World, with thunderstorms 265 days a year. Although he personally loves wild weather, he respects it as well, and clearly understands the dangers.
People often ask whether lightning’s electricity is AC or DC. Actually, says Fernandez, “lightning has its own category – Direct Cosmic Current. “ With household current – 110-220 volts AC – significant injury can occur with a comparatively low 600 volts; in contrast, lightning sends in excess of 1 million volts racing through the body.
There are three types of lightning strikes, said Fernandez: a direct hit, which is the most serious; a side flash, contact strike, caused when someone is in contact with a conductor, such as a flag pole; and ground current, when an individual is struck just standing on the ground and the lightning travels upward through the body.
Although the phrase “a bolt from the blue” is often used metaphorically, its origin is simply scary: it refers to a lightning strike from a seemingly clear blue sky. Fernandez explains that this kind of lightning actually leaps from a low-hanging anvil cloud to the ground, appearing as if it were truly a bolt from the blue. “I just saw one yesterday, coming back from Miami,” he says.
During his years as an emergency physician, Fernandez has seen all kinds of lightning injuries – from full cardiac arrest to the most common, a ruptured eardrum. The most frequent, immediate cause of lightning death, he continues, is apnea, or cessation of breathing.
That being the case, Fernandez recommends immediately initiating CPR. People sometimes wonder whether it’s safe to touch someone who has been stuck by lightning. Of course, It is perfectly safe, is Fernandez’ reply. But, even if pre-hospital CPR is performed, about two-thirds of lightning victims who make it to the hospital will have some sort of permanent injury, which can include paralysis or weakness in the extremities, eye or ear problems or breathing issues.
What, then, can people do to safeguard themselves from this deadly force of nature? Stay indoors or in your car, is the quick answer. If you’re outside, when should you seek shelter indoors?
Fernandez explains: Sound travels at 1,100 feet per second. When you see a lightning bolt, start counting. If you hear thunder before you get to five, the storm is within a mile of you. Even at three miles or more, lightening can strike. So seek indoor shelter. Heed the little rhyme: “When thunder roars, stay indoors!”
Popular belief notwithstanding, lightning can and often does strike in the same place twice – and often more than that. If you’re outside, don’t take shelter under a tree and don’t lie flat on the ground, both make you more of a target. Sports dugouts or open patio or garages are not safe either. Just keep heading toward the house.
What demographic seems to get struck by lightning most often? Mostly younger, healthy people, who tend to get outside more than the elderly, for work and play, says Fernandez. And a full 82% of lightning victims are men. Says one medical source, “Men take more risks, and are less willing to give up what they’re doing, ‘just because of a little inclement weather.’“ And what are they most often doing when lightning strikes? Golfing! Definitely No. 1, especially in this area, says Fernandez, and adds, “I’ve never treated a baby or an elderly person for a lightning strike.”
He mentions another lightning factoid: Ever wonder why your plane has a ground hold when storms threaten? The FAA stops take-offs and landings if lightning storms are with 25 miles, but it’s not because the plane can be struck by lightning. Rather, it is because of the wind shears that accompany such storms. (Aviation safety experts say lightning is not considered a safety risk or flight hazard. Airplanes are designed to withstand lighting strikes.)