Don't Become a Lightning Rod

Most of the environmental warnings you'll hear this summer will be about making sure you're wearing enough sunscreen.

But scientists at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration want you to be on the lookout for lightning too. The NOAA has even named the week of June 19-25 National Lightning Safety Awareness Week. They suggest those soaking up the summer sun to keep an eye out for brewing storms and to be careful if one pops up.

Each year lightning kills on average 67 people and causes thousands of dollars of damage to people's property, according to the National Weather Service.

While most people say "lightning doesn't strike twice," it's got a pretty good chance - lightning strikes the Earth 100 times per second. At any given moment about 1,800 thunderstorms are in progress around the globe.

NASA scientists use Earth and space-based sensors year round to gather lightning data. They have found that lightning strikes aren't evenly distributed around the globe, which is useful for understanding lightning storm trends. Understanding lightning storms better could improve severe storm warnings by up to 50 percent.

"Knowing the precise location of lightning helps with aviation safety, and helps forecasters locate the most intense regions inside thunderstorms," says NASA meteorologist Jeffrey Halverson.

--Bjorn Carey

Credit: FEMA