By Zorina Morton, Infrastructure Planning Coordinator, Office of Emergency Management
April 24, 2023

Last week, our office focused on Severe Weather Awareness as we head into the spring and summer season which brings hazards associated with strong storms.

Our awareness outreach was highlighted by a pop-up event in Germantown where I got to speak to residents about weather threats and what people should know to be prepared for them.

While it’s easy to focus on the big threats like hurricanes, it’s critical to be aware of the more common weather risks, like thunderstorms.

Did you know that worldwide there are an estimated 16 million thunderstorms each year? At any given moment, there are roughly 2,000 thunderstorms happening. In the United States alone, there are approximately 100,000 thunderstorms a year.

While some may find thunderstorms calming, they do pose hazardous weather conditions, such as lightning, rainfall, high wind, and flash flooding. Being outside when thunder or lightning is present is not something to ignore; you should seek shelter immediately. While the chances of being struck by lightning are less than 1 in a million, some factors increase your risks.

Here are some precautions and tips to take this summer to avoid being caught in a thunderstorm:

• If caught outside, seek shelter in an enclosed building or a hardtop vehicle.
• Avoid open spaces, high ground, and metal or metallic objects.
• Avoid water if swimming, bathing, washing dishes, or any other contact with water; lightning can travel through the plumbing.
• Avoid using electronic equipment of all types. DO NOT use anything connected to an electrical outlet, laptops, game systems, washers, dryers, or stoves. Lightning can travel through electrical systems.
• Thunderstorms with lightning and wind can cause power outages. Find helpful information on preparing for and reporting outages from our partners at PECO.

Lightning strikes may be rare, but they do happen, and the risk of injury can be severe and sometimes result in death.

Please take thunderstorms seriously, and remember, When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!

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