Lightning can hit with barely any warning, and if you’re out in the open, you’re especially exposed. Wide fields, hilltops, and shorelines just don’t offer many safe spots. The safest action in an open area during a thunderstorm is to reach a fully enclosed building or a hard-topped vehicle as quickly as possible.
When a storm rolls in, knowing the signs and acting quickly can make a huge difference. If you hear thunder within 30 seconds of seeing lightning, the storm is close enough to be dangerous.
Every decision counts in those moments, from where you move to how you position your body if there’s nowhere to hide.
This guide breaks down how lightning forms, why some spots are more dangerous, and the steps you should take before, during, and after a storm. It covers how to spot risk, react fast, avoid high-risk objects, and stay safe until the storm passes.
Understanding Lightning and Thunderstorms
Lightning is a sudden discharge of electricity that happens during a thunderstorm. It can hit the ground, objects, or even people, and it often comes with little warning.
Thunder is the sound produced when lightning rapidly heats the air, making it expand with a bang. Both are dangerous, so quick action matters.
How Lightning Forms
Lightning forms as electrical charges build up in a storm cloud. Rising air currents push small ice particles up, while heavier ones fall.
This movement separates positive and negative charges. The lower part of the cloud usually gets a negative charge, and the ground below builds up a positive one.
That charge difference creates an electric field strong enough to break through the air.
When the difference gets too big, a discharge happens. The lightning bolt travels between the cloud and the ground, between clouds, or inside a single cloud.
You see a flash, but it only lasts fractions of a second and carries an insane amount of voltage.
Thunder comes after because the lightning rapidly heats the air to thousands of degrees. That heat makes the air expand fast, causing the shockwave we hear as thunder.
Dangers of Lightning Strikes
A lightning strike can blast tens of thousands of amps of electrical current through whatever it hits. That much power can cause severe burns, nerve damage, or even stop a heart.
Even if lightning doesn’t hit a person directly, the ground current can travel out and still cause injury.
Every year, lightning kills dozens of people in the United States. Many more live with long-term effects like memory loss, chronic pain, or hearing problems.
Lightning can also wreck property by starting fires, frying electronics, or damaging buildings. Metal objects, tall trees, and open fields make strikes more likely nearby.
If you’re in an open area during a thunderstorm, your risk goes way up. Without shelter, you might be the tallest thing around, which makes you a target.
Common Myths About Lightning
Myth 1: Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
Fact: It actually does, especially tall structures like towers or skyscrapers.
Myth 2: If it’s not raining, you’re safe from lightning.
Fact: Lightning can strike miles away from the rain, sometimes even when the sky looks clear.
Myth 3: Rubber soles or tires protect you from lightning.
Fact: They don’t. Only a fully enclosed metal-topped vehicle offers real protection by channeling the current around you.
Myth 4: Lying flat on the ground keeps you safe.
Fact: That actually increases your risk from ground current. Crouching low with as little contact to the ground as possible is safer if you can’t find shelter.
Recognizing Lightning Risks in Open Areas
Lightning tends to strike where it can reach the ground easily, like tall objects or wide-open terrain. People in these spots face greater risk during storms because there’s not much shelter.
Knowing where you are, what time it is, and how close lightning is can help you stay safer.
High-Risk Locations
Some places just make lightning strikes more likely, especially if you’re exposed or near something that conducts electricity.
Open fields, hilltops, and ridgelines are risky since there’s nothing to block or redirect a strike. If you’re the tallest thing around, you’re basically a lightning rod.
Common high-risk locations include:
- Large open fields or sports fields
- Beaches and shorelines
- Rooftops, scaffolding, and ladders
- Near tall isolated trees or utility poles
- Around big metal equipment like cranes or tractors
Water, wet ground, and metal surfaces can carry electricity from a strike farther than you might think. Even if lightning hits nearby, the current can travel through the ground or anything connected to it.
When You Are Most Vulnerable
You’re most at risk when a thunderstorm is close and there’s nowhere safe to go.
Lightning often hits before the rain starts or after it ends. People get caught off guard because they think it’s safe once the rain stops.
Being outside when you first notice a storm—like dark clouds, distant thunder, or sudden wind—puts you in danger. Some jobs or activities, like farming or construction, might keep you exposed longer than you’d like.
If you hear thunder, lightning’s already close enough to strike. Don’t wait.
Flash-to-Bang Method for Distance
You can estimate how far away lightning is using the flash-to-bang method. After you see a lightning flash, count the seconds until you hear thunder.
Sound travels about one mile in five seconds. Just divide your count by five to get the distance in miles.
For example:
| Seconds Counted | Distance (miles) |
|---|---|
| 5 | 1 |
| 10 | 2 |
| 15 | 3 |
If the time is 30 seconds or less (so, six miles or closer), it’s not safe to stay outside. Get to shelter right away, ideally a solid building or enclosed vehicle.
Immediate Actions to Take When Caught Outside
When lightning is close, your risk jumps with every second you stay exposed. Where you move, what you avoid, and how you position your body can make a big difference in your chances of avoiding a lightning strike.
Seeking Shelter Quickly
The safest spot during a thunderstorm is inside a fully enclosed building with wiring and plumbing. These buildings channel a lightning bolt safely into the ground.
If you can’t get to a building, a metal-topped vehicle with closed windows is your next best bet. The metal frame carries a strike around you.
Don’t trust small shelters like picnic pavilions or tents. They just don’t offer real lightning safety.
Get moving quickly, but try not to run across open high ground. If you can, head for lower ground that gives you a shot at safe shelter.
Once you’re inside, stay put for at least 30 minutes after the last thunder to make sure the storm is gone.
What to Avoid in Open Spaces
If you’re stuck outside with no shelter, avoid certain spots and objects to lower your risk. Steer clear of:
- Open fields or hilltops
- Tall isolated trees
- Metal fences, poles, or machinery
- Bodies of water like lakes or rivers
Lightning usually hits the tallest thing around. If you stand by or under it, you’re the easiest path for a strike.
Don’t lie flat on the ground. That increases your contact with the surface and your risk from ground current.
If you’re with others, spread out at least 50–100 feet apart to avoid multiple injuries from one strike.
Safe Body Positioning
If you can’t find shelter and you feel your hair stand up, lightning could be about to strike nearby. That’s your cue to get into the safest position you can.
Try the lightning crouch:
- Put your feet close together.
- Squat low, keep your heels touching the ground.
- Lower your head and cover your ears.
This makes you shorter and limits your contact with the ground.
Don’t touch the ground with your hands or lie down. It’s not foolproof, but this posture can cut your risk of a serious lightning injury.
Finding Safe Shelter During Thunderstorms
Lightning can strike miles from a storm, so once you hear thunder, don’t wait—get to shelter fast. The safest places keep you safe from both direct hits and indirect dangers like wind, rain, or falling debris.
Best Types of Shelter
The safest place in a thunderstorm is inside a sturdy, fully enclosed building with wiring and plumbing. These buildings help send lightning safely into the ground.
A metal-topped, enclosed vehicle with the windows up is also a solid choice. The metal body channels lightning around you, but don’t touch any metal inside.
When you’re indoors, stay away from windows, doors, and concrete walls. It’s best not to use corded electronics or plumbing, since lightning can travel through wires and pipes.
If you’re caught outside, head for a building or vehicle right away. If there’s nothing nearby, find a low spot away from tall objects, crouch with your feet together, and keep your body off the ground as much as possible.
Unsafe Structures to Avoid
Some shelters might keep you dry, but they won’t protect you from lightning. Watch out for these:
| Unsafe Shelter | Why It’s Unsafe |
|---|---|
| Tents or canopies | Fabric and poles don’t block lightning |
| Picnic shelters or pavilions | Open sides let strikes in |
| Under trees | Trees attract lightning; falling branches are risky too |
| Sheds or small outbuildings | Usually don’t have wiring or plumbing to ground a strike |
| Bleachers or dugouts | Metal parts conduct electricity; open design leaves you exposed |
Standing under a lone tree is especially dangerous and is a leading cause of lightning deaths. Even small metal things like fences or poles can carry a strike farther than you think.
You should also avoid open fields, ridgelines, and hilltops, since you’ll be the tallest thing around and more likely to be hit.
Staying Safe Near Water and Tall Objects
Lightning travels easily through water and loves tall objects that conduct electricity. If you’re near these during a storm, your risk goes up because they can channel electricity straight to you.
Risks at Beaches and Lakes
Open water is a great conductor. When lightning strikes a lake, ocean, or river, the current can spread across the surface and into the water below.
Anyone swimming, boating, or standing in the water is at risk.
Beaches are wide open too, leaving you exposed. With no buildings or solid shelters, you might be the tallest thing around.
Key safety steps:
- Get out of the water right away at the first sound of thunder.
- Move at least 100 feet away from the shoreline.
- Find shelter in a fully enclosed building or a hard-topped vehicle.
Skip small shelters like beach pavilions or tents—they won’t protect you from lightning. The safest move is to get inside a dry, enclosed spot.
Avoiding Trees and Metal Objects
Tall, isolated trees are magnets for lightning because they stick out above everything else. The current can shoot down the trunk and into the ground, hurting anyone nearby.
Metal objects like fences, poles, and equipment also carry electricity a long way. Even if lightning doesn’t hit you directly, the current can travel through these and cause harm.
Safe practices include:
- Stay at least twice the tree’s height away from its base.
- Don’t lean on or touch metal objects during a storm.
- Keep away from light poles, flagpoles, and metal fences until the storm is over.
Stick to low, open spots away from tall or metal objects to lower your odds of a lightning strike.
Post-Storm Safety Precautions
Lightning can still be dangerous after the rain lets up. Even if things seem calm, a storm might send out strikes from several miles away. If someone got hurt earlier, they might need urgent care. So, it’s smart to stay cautious until you’re sure it’s really safe.
When It’s Safe to Go Outside
You should stay inside for at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder. This waiting time gives the storm a chance to move far enough away, which lowers your risk of getting struck.
Lightning sometimes hits up to 10 miles from where a storm actually is. People tend to misjudge that distance, and they often leave shelter too early.
While you’re waiting, don’t touch plumbing, electrical gadgets, or corded phones. If lightning strikes nearby, those things can carry electricity right to you.
Check weather apps, NOAA alerts, or listen to a portable weather radio to track the storm. If you can still hear thunder, then lightning could still be out there.
First Aid for Lightning Strike Victims
If lightning strikes someone, call emergency services immediately. Lightning can stop the heart or breathing, but acting fast might save a life.
Check if the person responds. Look for breathing and a pulse.
If you don’t find a pulse or breathing, start CPR right away. Keep going until help arrives or the person starts breathing on their own.
Check for burns, especially where the electricity entered or left the body. Cover any burns with a clean, dry cloth.
Don’t use ice or ointments on burns.
Move the victim only if they’re in danger, like near water or in an open field.
You can touch lightning strike victims safely—they don’t carry an electrical charge.
Keep them warm and still. Watch their breathing and pulse until professionals arrive.