Brevard, NC

... Public information statement...

This is severe weather awareness week in Georgia. Families and
individuals... as well as employers and other organizations... are
urged to use the information provided this week to devise their own
severe weather safety plans. If you already have a plan in place...
you are encouraged to use this opportunity to review your procedures
and perform drills and exercises based upon your plan. 2011 was an
unusually active year for severe weather across north Georgia and
surrounding areas... with multiple strong to violent tornadoes
reported. There are no guarantees that 2012 will be less active... or
will not be even more active than 2011. The time to prepare for
violent weather is right now.

Today... we take a look at the thunderstorms most dangerous
phenomenon... lightning. Lightning is the second leading cause of
weather-related deaths in the U.S... claiming an average of around 62
lives each year. The physics of lightning dictate that it will seek
out the tallest object in a certain area. For this reason... most
lightning fatalities occur in open areas such as Golf
courses... baseball fields... lakes or other bodies of water... and in
mountainous areas. Locations such as these are found in abundance
across northeast Georgia. In addition... thunderstorms occur almost
every day during the late Spring and Summer across the region.
Therefore... lightning fatalities and injuries are relatively common
in this part of the world.

An important fact to remember about lightning is that it does not
have to be raining for you to be struck. Lightning can extend for
several miles beyond the cloud that is producing it. Basically... if
you can hear thunder... or actually see lightning... you are in
danger. Under no circumstance is it safe to be outside while
lightning is occurring. Seek shelter indoors. If a building is not
available... a hardtop vehicle will usually provide adequate
protection from lightning. Once you have sought shelter... remain
there until approximately 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder.

Although the vast majority of lightning-related casualties occur
outdoors... there are still measures that people should take while
indoors to insure that they are safe from lightning. People have
been struck by lightning while talking on wired telephones... or
coming in contact with other types of electrical appliances. Others
have been struck while taking a shower or a Bath. Avoid these
activities during a thunderstorm. In addition... electrical surges
caused by lightning may result in damage to electrical appliances...
and in some cases ignite fires. It is a good idea to unplug these
appliances before a thunderstorm hits.

Remember... the National Weather Service does not issue warnings for
lightning. Every thunderstorm... by definition... produces
lightning... and is dangerous in that regard.

For more information on weather safety... visit our website at
weather.Gov/gsp.