The weather forecast calls for a slight chance of thunderstorms, but you can only see a few white clouds overhead. You spend a few minutes warming up and then wait! Is that thunder you hear? Was that a lightning flash?
What do you do? Keep playing until the thunder and lightning get closer? Go sit on the metal bench(长椅) under the trees to see what happens? Or get in your car and drive home? Correct answer: If no substantial, non-concrete shelter is nearby, get in your car and wait out the storm. Why?
Although the odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are less than 1 in a million, some factors can put you at greater risk. Lightning most often strikes people who work outside or engage in outdoor recreational activities. Florida is considered the "lightning capital" of the country, with more than 2,000 lightning injuries over the past 50 years. From 2009 to 2018, lightning caused an average of 27 deaths per year in the United States.
If the weather forecast calls for thunderstorms, postpone your trip or activity.
When thunder rolls, go indoors. Find a safe, enclosed shelter. Safe shelters include homes, offices, shopping centers, and hard-top vehicles with the windows rolled up.
After you see lightning, start counting to 30. If you hear thunder before you reach 30, go indoors. Suspend activities for at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder.
If you are caught outside with no safe shelter nearby, crouch(蹲下) down in a ball-like position with your head tucked(收拢) and hands over your ears.
A. Don't forget the 30-30 rule.
B. Avoid using electronic equipment of all types.
C. So you and your tennis partner head for the tennis court.
D. Here are some tips to reduce your risk of being struck by lightning.
E. Perform the following actions if you are accidentally caught in an open area.
F. Because being outside when lightning is present is not something to take lightly.
G. Regional differences can also affect your risk of being injured by lightning.
