{"id":194061,"date":"2025-06-22T21:04:04","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T02:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=194061"},"modified":"2025-06-22T21:04:34","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T02:04:34","slug":"common-lightning-myths-vs-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2025\/06\/22\/common-lightning-myths-vs-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"Common lightning myths vs. truth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Submitted information<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Emergency Management Agency, National Weather Service, and the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness are promoting Lightning Safety Awareness Week, which began on Sunday and runs through Saturday, June 28. It encourages all Ohioans to know what to do before, during, and after a thunderstorm, and to practice severe weather safety and preparedness throughout the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Despite the fact that lightning-related incidents can be lessened by preparedness, lightning continues to injure and kill people across the U.S. and the world every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lightning can reach temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun \u2013 up to 50,000\u00b0F \u2013 and can strike up to 10 miles away from a storm. Each year in the U.S., lightning kills about 20 people and injures hundreds more, often with long-term consequences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many myths about lightning that still are widely believed. Knowing the difference between myth and truth when it comes to lightning can help you be informed and stay safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common myths about lightning:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Myth<\/strong>: Lightning never strikes the same place twice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                Truth<\/strong>: It absolutely can and often does\u2014like on tall buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Myth<\/strong>: You\u2019re safe if it\u2019s not raining.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                   Truth<\/strong>: Lightning can strike before or after a storm, even with clear skies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Myth<\/strong>: Rubber tires or shoes protect you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                     Truth<\/strong>: They don\u2019t. It\u2019s the metal roof and frame of a car that protect you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        This year, the Lightning Safety Council has designated each day of Lightning Safety Awareness Week with a theme to promote lightning safety awareness and education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Sunday<\/strong>: An Introduction to Lightning Safety<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Monday<\/strong>: The Science of Lightning and Thunder<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Tuesday<\/strong>: Lightning Safety Outdoors<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Wednesday<\/strong>: Lightning Safety Indoors<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Thursday<\/strong>: Lightning Safety and Sports Activities<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Friday<\/strong>: Medical Effects on Lightning Victims<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Saturday<\/strong>: Protecting Your Home from Lightning<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Submitted information COLUMBUS — The Ohio Emergency Management Agency, National Weather Service, and the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness are promoting Lightning Safety Awareness Week, which began on Sunday and runs through Saturday, June 28. It encourages all Ohioans to know what to do before, during, and after a thunderstorm, and to practice severe weather […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-194061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-31 00:39:50","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194061"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":194145,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194061\/revisions\/194145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}