FARGO — One of the most dangerous elements of a thunderstorm is the lightning. The National Weather Service does not put out warnings for lightning, because then every thunderstorm would require a warning. Usually, when lightning is frequent, most people have already taken shelter from the storm because of rain, wind, or other storm elements.
Most human lightning injuries and deaths do not happen at the height of a storm, but as it is just beginning or after it has appeared to have mostly moved on. Lightning can strike from a cloud miles away, so it is important to get to shelter as soon as lightning is seen or thunder heard. Around 80% of lightning deaths are men, mostly who are working on heavy machinery or farm equipment. Other leading situations include people in boats and golfers. Hand-held, battery-operated lightning detection devices are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased at electronics stores locally or over the internet.
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