Young People's Sports & Lightning Safety
Right now, across the world, there are approximately 2,000 thunderstorms
happening. Thousands of of bolts of lightning can be created in each storm. Each of those bolts packs enough power to light a 100-watt bulb for more than 3 months. Given how often and how dangerous lightning can be, it is a wonder that more individuals don't suffer injury or death by these potent lightning bolts. SkyScan It is during the summer months in North America when most lightning strikes the ground. Coincidentally, afternoons in June, July and August are when children's outdoor sports In these situations, the adults involved -- the parents, coaches, and officials -- are responsible for ensuring the safety of the child athletes. A thunderstorm policy should be written out with clear guidelines that are easy to implement and a responsible adult should monitor the weather conditions and forecast. In this day and age, it is not necessary to rely on personal observations of storms. The use of a portable lightning detector at the sports venue can provide superior advance warning and ensuring the safety of those involved. It is vital that the officials involved in young people's sports know how best to protect the players, parents and spectators from the strikes of lightning within a thunderstorm. If you observe lightning strikes or hear the sounds of thunder claps, it is probably best to put off the game until a safer time. Your athletes are already at risk. Even though there may be no raindrops, the risk of lightning is quite high at your location. Many injuries from lightning happen just as a storm begins, as people are unaware of the risk. Many people are unaware that a lightning strike could happen a distance of fifteen kilometers or more from where the rain is dropping. Louder or more frequent thunder means that the storm is approaching, increasing your risk. When the delay in time between lightning bolt and hearing thunder is less than 30 seconds, your kids should be in a safe place already, or rushing to get there! Weather warning devices like NOAA weather radio and a credible SkyScan lightning detector are very helpful. Naturally, your common sense and aversion for risk should also be used! While no location is guaranteed to be safe during a storm, larger and more substantial buildings tend to be safer than smaller ones. Small structures like gazebos and cabanas should be avoided during thunderstorms. A perfect lightning detector is the EWS PRO for your sports league. |