Staying safe during summer lightning season

By Chris Vagasky, University of Wisconsin-Madison Baseball fans clear the stands as lightning strikes near the Colorado Rockies’ stadium in 2019. Julio Aguilar/Getty Images As the weather warms, people spend more time outdoors, going to barbecues, beaches and ballgames. But summer isn’t just the season of baseball and outdoor festivals – it’s also lightning season. Each year in the United States, lightning strikes around 37 million times. It kills 21 people a year in the U.S. on average. For as often as lightning occurs – there are only a few days each year nationwide without lightning – there are still a lot of misunderstandings about nature’s largest spark. Because of this, a lot of people take unnecessary risks when thunderstorms are nearby. I am a meteorologist who studies lightning and lightning safety, and a member of the National Lightning Safety Council. Here are some fast facts to keep your family and friends safe this summer: What is lightning, and where does it come from? Lightning is a giant electric spark in the atmosphere and is classified based on whether it hits the ground or not. In-cloud lightning is any lightning that doesn’t hit ground, while cloud-to-ground – or, less commonly,...