“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter – ’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning .” -Mark Twain
On a recent trip to Ichetucknee Springs State Park I began to think about what I would do should a thunderstorm pop up. After I got back home I checked out OSHA’s Lightning Safety website. Some things I learned were:
• 10% of all lightning strikes occur without rain at the spot where lightning struck.
• The only safe places are indoors in large buildings (not camp bathrooms, etc.) and in metal roofed vehicles.
• If you hear thunder within 30 seconds of seeing a lightning strike, it means that the storm is less than 6 miles away and you should move indoors imme-diately.
Since Florida has more lightning strikes than any other state it is important that we stay aware of weather conditions when outside.
