Camping in Thunder Storms!

Most of us wouldn't deliberately go camping in bad weather but thunderstorms can strike anywhere, just about anytime. While they are most apt to occur in the summer or fall, I've even seen lighting and thunder during a snow storm (Thundersnow) on Christmas day in Utah! Thunderstorms are quite common in the mountainous areas favored by campers.  Mountains often create their own weather and local activity won't always show up on regional forecasts.   I've seen summer thunderstorms in mountainous areas that were so regular you could almost set  your clock by them.  Thunderstorms can be beautiful to watch and kind of fun -- if you are someplace safe -- or deadly if you are caught out in the open or near objects that may attract lightning. In any case, they are a superb demonstration of the power of Nature and demand respect. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be possibly struck by lightning, so take precautions right away!

Thunder is the sound of lightning.  Lightning takes place because there is a build up of a differential in electrical charge between the earth and the clouds moving overhead or between clouds. When the difference gets large enough, electricity arcs between clouds or from the clouds to the ground to equalize the charge and lightning is born. A lightning bolt can instantly heat its channel through the air to as much as 54,000°F. That's something like 255 times as hot as it takes to boil water!  Cloud-to-cloud lightning is spectacular to watch and poses little threat to people on the ground. Cloud-to-ground lightning, on the other hand, creates a huge threat to people and objects on the ground. Lightning strikes with tremendous force, enough to split and destroy mature trees in a single strike. It can also cause fires where there is sufficient fuel, like in forests, brush, and grasslands. Fires don't usually spread rapidly in desert areas where the foliage is sparse. Lightning will seek the path of least resistance, usually arcing from the highest point on the ground, so you want to make sure YOU are not the highest point or are not near the highest point.  Not all the lightning you see is cloud-to-ground.  There are a number of different kinds of cloud-to-cloud lightning that will illuminate the sky but won't necessarily have the distinctive streaks we normally associate with lightning.  Typically there are 5-10 times as many intra-cloud flashes as cloud-to-ground flashes.  You may see spider lightning that usually shows up as long, horizontal flashes on the underside of clouds.  For more on fascinating lightning types, check out red sprites, blue jets, and elves on Lighting Types.  Since these are transient, high altitude phenomena, you probably won't observe them unless you are flying over a thunder storm or way higher up on a mountain than I'd ever want to be in a thunderstorm.

Lightning can strike distant power lines and send a dangerous surge through electric and phone lines.  If you usually camp with electric hookups it is a good idea to equip your RV with a good surge protector to prevent damage from power surges.  They aren't cheap, but they're a lot cheaper than replacing all the damaged wiring and electrical and electronic equipment that will be ruined without them. If you don't have a surge protector, you might want to consider disconnecting all wiring from the campground until the storm passes.  Even phone, TV cable, or wired Internet

Thunder is caused by a sonic shock wave generated as the super-heated air expands (remember that 54,000 °F) and strikes cooler air surrounding it. Thunder is the sound of lightning. Remember, if you hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm that you could be struck by lightning. Thunder can typically be heard up to 25 miles.  At that distance it will mostly be a low rumble as high frequency sound is absorbed by the environment.  When lightning strikes closer than that the thunder will be louder, sharper, and more intense.  The time between seeing the lightning flash and hearing the thunder can give you an approximation of how far away the lightning was. Measure the seconds or count "one-one thousand, two-one-thousand" etc. Divide by 3 to get the approximate distance in kilometers or by 5 go get the approximate distance in miles. Anything within a mile or two represents significant danger. I have worked on outdoor construction projects that were shut down whenever lighting was within 2 miles.   That's a count of about 10 seconds.  You might use that as a guide for curtailing outdoor activities when there is thunder and lightning in the area and make sure YOU aren't the highest point around!

Heat lightning is a term applied to lightning or lightning induced illumination that is too far away for thunder to be heard.  You may see clouds light up in a distant storm before it gets close enough for the sound of thunder to reach you.  You probably don't need to worry right away unless the storm is obviously headed your way but you'll want to keep an eye on it and keep your ears open for thunder.  You may also see clouds light up from cloud to cloud lightning.  When it is present there is also a pretty good chance of cloud to ground lightning, so take precautions when you hear the thunder, even it is from cloud to cloud activity at the time.

Hail is another hazard of thunderstorms. High winds within the thunderclouds whip particles up and down through various temperatures. At low levels, they pick up moisture. At high elevations, the moisture that has accumulated on particles freezes.  The cycle repeats, building up layer after layer of ice to form hailstones.  As they grow heavy enough, they fall into warmer, moist air and pick up more moisture. If the winds are strong enough, they are whipped back up and the new layer of moisture freezes. The stronger the winds within the cloud, the larger and heavier the hailstones grow. Small hail is mostly a nuisance and may cause some stinging pain if you are caught out in it. You can usually get pretty good protection from small hail under small trees and bushes or even a tent or awning. As the hail gets larger, the hazard increases. Dime size hail will hurt like heck and can dimple RV and vehicle roofs.  Golf-ball sized hail will dent vehicles, damage roofs, and break windows and windshields. Tents and fabric awnings are little protection and will be severely damaged by hail of this size. Even larger hailstones have been recorded, some bigger than a baseball. Imagine having one of those land on your head! It would be worse than getting hit with a major-league fastball! If you encounter a hailstorm, seek shelter immediately. If you are on the road and the hail gets bigger than a dime, try to pull over under a freeway bridge before it breaks your windshield or damages your vehicle. If you are in camp about all you can do is get yourself and any equipment that is likely to be damaged inside and wait it out. The roof of your RV or other vehicle may be dented by large hailstones but at least it will keep it off your head. Tents will provide protection against small hail, but if it heads toward golf ball size, you might want to get in or crawl under your vehicle or other sturdy protection until it stops if you don't have any other safe place. If your are out on the trails on your OHV, horse, or on foot, seek any shelter you can find. A cave or a rock overhang would provide the best protection but you may have to settle for huddling under a large tree. Just make sure it isn't a lone tree or the tallest one around. You don't want to try to hide from a thunderstorm next to a lightning rod! Try to move your ride (mechanical or furry) to a safe place also. You don't want your body or anything that is important to you to become the highest point around. Even fairly small hailstones can dent vehicles and break windows. I noticed a new, golf-ball texture on the roof of my motorhome following a thunderstorm last summer with dime sized hail. Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do if you're caught out in a hailstorm. Get your vehicle under some kind of protection if you can. A bridge or an overpass or the canopy at a gas station provides the most protection, but trees can slow or divert at least some of the hailstones although being under trees may subject you to falling branches from high winds that often accompany thunder storms so pick your spot carefully.

Cold rain that often accompanies thunderstorms can quickly chill your body to the point of dangerous hypothermia. The first few drops on a hot day will be refreshing, but getting soaked will be uncomfortable and even dangerous before long.  Hypothermia occurs when the body's core temperature falls to about 95°.  That's only a few degrees below the normal temperature of 98.6°.  Standing around in wet clothes, especially if there is a breeze, can quickly put a person into hypothermia.  If you can't get in out of the rain before getting soaked, try to change into dry clothing and get warm as soon as possible. Lacking any dry clothes in camp, get out of the wet ones and wrap up in a blanket or sleeping bag until your clothes dry.  In wet clothes you can get dangerously hypothermic even in fairly comfortable air temperatures.

I have personally been close enough to a lightning strike that the "thunder" was perceived as a violent explosion simultaneous with the flash. Believe me, that is scary, even though we were maybe a hundred yards away across a parking lot! It was like a bomb or dynamite going off! To estimate how close lightning is to you, watch for the lightning flash, then measure the seconds until you hear the thunder. If you don't have a watch count "one thousand one, two one thousand, etc". Divide the count by 5 to estimate how many miles to the lightning or divide by 3 for kilometers. If lightning is striking within  2 miles of your location (about 10 seconds after the lightning flash), seek immediate shelter. And remember that if you can hear the thunder, regardless of how long it was from the lightning flash, you are probably within striking distance of the lightning sometime soon and should begin looking for shelter or start heading back to camp.

Being inside an RV, like being inside of just about any enclosed vehicle or building, gives you some personal protection from lightning. A popular mis-belief is that the rubber tires on a vehicle insulate you from the ground. That simply isn't true. Lightning strikes are powerful enough to easily jump the gap from the metal wheels to the ground and the rain that usually accompanies thunder storms creates an effective conductor over the rubber tires anyway. After all, lightning bolts are already arcing thousands of feet through the air from clouds to the ground, so whats a few inches from metal wheel to ground. What really protects you is the metal framework surrounding you that conducts the strike safely past you to the ground through the body of your vehicle instead of through your body. Thus, sitting on your rubber-tired OHV does not protect you from being struck by lightning, especially if you are the tallest point around.

A popular saying is that "lightning never strikes twice in the same place". That may have some foundation in the expectation that once lightning has struck a place, it no longer exists as the highest point to be struck a second time.  That is probably true of tall trees.  However, lightning does strike some places repeatedly. For instance, the Empire State Building in New York City is struck by lightning about 100 times every year. So why isn't it damaged or the occupants injured? Because it is grounded so the lightning passes through special circuits in the building into the ground without harming the contents or the occupants. The lightning rod on top is connected to a special metal framework that safely conducts the electricity into the ground beneath the building and away from occupants. Even people have been struck more than once by lightning and survived.  I suspect it may not have been direct strikes either time.

Some one struck by lightning does NOT become "charged".   You will not be shocked it you come in contact with them after they have been struck, only if you are touching them when they are struck.  Some electrocuted by a fallen power line, on the other hand, could very well be a danger if they are still in contact with the line.  If you go to assist someone in that situation, make sure any fallen lines are moved off of them before you touch them.  Use a stick or wooden pole to move the wires so you don't get shocked.

If you find yourself in a lightning storm in your RV, try to find a low-lying area away from tall trees or light poles to park. You don't want to be or be near the highest point. Stay away from tall trees and light poles in camp grounds, parking lots or rest areas. However, take care in choosing a low-lying area. Many may be subject to flash floods. Your best bet is on a small rise that keeps you lower than surrounding lightning targets, but up out of the danger of flooding. But even then, be cautious and observant.  You don't want to find yourself marooned on an island if a flash flood inundates the low lying area around you.  Flash floods can happen from rain many miles away, often surprising those in its path.

While you may be relatively safe from direct injury from lightning striking your RV when you are in it, your RV certainly isn't. Furthermore, if you are in contact with any part of the metal frame of the RV when lightning strikes, all bets are off and you'll probably be seriously injured. Don't lean up against window or door frames. Avoid touching plumbing fixtures. Lightning striking your RV or even near it is likely to damage appliances and electronic equipment and perhaps the ignition systems on motorhomes and tow vehicles. It can also cause fires and even explosions. Keep in mind your RV is carrying a significant amount of volatile fuels (propane and, in the case of motorhomes and toyhaulers, gasoline or diesel). If your RV catches fire, GET OUT and far away from the vehicle as soon as possible. Those little spray-can sized fire extinguishers required by law are good for small cooking fires, but they will be useless if your whole vehicle is on fire. Better to just let it burn and get you and your loved ones to safety than die in a futile attempt to save a vehicle that can be replaced.  A fire fighter rule of thumb is if the fire is bigger than a wastebasket, get help!

If you're caught in an electrical storm while out hiking or riding your horse or OHV, seek shelter in a low-lying area as soon as possible -- but avoid places that might be subject to flooding. If you're in a flat area or on a hill top, you might well be the highest point around and the path of least resistance for lightning! As mentioned above, rubber tires to not insulate you from the ground enough to prevent being struck by lightning. Do not seek shelter under tall trees or even single trees in an open area, regardless of how tall they are. You are somewhat safer in a thick grove of trees nearly all the same height than you are out in the open but the best course of action is to get low -- under a bridge or in a culvert will provide protection from lightning but that carries its own dangers: flash floods. Even if it isn't raining where you are yet, the sudden downpour often associated with thunderstorms can create flash floods that sweep down streams and formerly dry gullies with amazing speed and deadly force from many miles away. If you do seek shelter under a bridge or culvert, make sure you can see far enough upstream to get the heck out of the way if there is a flash flood! If there is no place to go, consider getting off your ride and squatting down some distance away from it so that IT is the highest point around, and not your head or your backside! Better it gets struck than you! The safest recommended position is to squat down with your hands on your knees and put your head between your knees. Lying flat is said to actually make you a larger target and more likely to be hit. Even when lying flat your backside may be the highest point around and most vulnerable to being struck by lightening.  Replacing your fried OHV or poor horse may be expensive, but replacing your fried brain or electrocuted heart is impossible.

If you are hiking in the open you may be the tallest object around, so seek shelter in a low-lying area. If there is no place to go, squat down on the ground as described above and wait for the storm to pass. Better to be wet and muddy than electrocuted, incinerated, or vaporized!

You don't have to actually be struck directly by lightning to be injured by a strike. A near miss can send shrapnel flying with deadly velocity in all directions. You may also be stunned by the concussion of the strike, blinded by the flash, your hearing damaged by the thunder or shock wave, or the object hit may fall in your direction. So stay a safe distance away from objects such as tall trees, power poles, and radio towers that might attract lightning.

Kids and thunderstorms. If you're camping with kids you may have extra concerns during thunderstorms. Kids reactions run the gambit, from wanting to go out and play in the rain to being scared to death! Both extremes create problems for Mom and Dad (or Grandma and Grandpa or other guardians). You will want to teach your kids respect for the awesome power of thunderstorms and show them how to protect themselves. Take care not to frighten them unnecessarily. If they are already frightened by thunder and lightning, calmly explain the basics to them and let them know how they can stay safe. Let them know that it is pretty rare for people to be struck by lightning -- as low as 1 in 8,987,657 (you could tell them chances are almost 10 million to 1 against them being struck by lighting).  Have alternate indoor activities planned that will take their minds off the storm while keeping them safe and warm. Board games, card games, computer games, movies, and books are all good possibilities. So are baking cookies or making and eating popcorn. Some fresh baked cookies and cup of hot cocoa is a very comforting distraction from storms. Hugs are good too, if your family is physical.  Make fun of the storm. My grandpa used to say the thunder was a potato wagon tipping over, which seemed especially relevant since we lived in Idaho and he grew potatoes and would know what one sounds like. Equate lightning to a fireworks display and encourage kids to spot the best streaks or things like brightest flash, loudest thunder, closest, furthest away, closest together, the one with the most branches, or just count the flashes.

Kids aren't the only ones who need something to do during thunderstorms.   While most adults won't be as frightened by storms as children are, being cooped up in a tent or RV to wait out an extended storm is likely to take its toll.  Personally, I enjoy a good thunderstorm, as long as the lightning doesn't get TOO close!  Not everyone shares my  enthusiasm though.  While few adults are seriously frightened by thunder storms, many do find them inconvenient or annoying.  You may find yourself suffering from symptoms of "cabin fever".  It is a good idea to have some indoor activities planned to use if you find yourself in that situation.  Board games and card games can be played anywhere.  Books and magazines can provide welcome diversions.  If you have shore power, an on board generator, or an inverter with adequate battery banks, you can watch videos.  Some of the suggestions for kids, like baking cookies or making popcorn, are fun and practical things for even more "mature" kids.  I also like to take advantage of times I'm cooped up inside to perform routine inspections and maintenance within my RV or enclosed motorcycle trailer.  Inventorying, cleaning, and reorganizing cabinets and drawers is a very productive and satisfying way to use "down" time.  Since I have an enclosed motorcycle trailer for our dirt bikes I can even do some maintenance on the bikes when the weather is bad.  Even some adults may suffer from some kind of phobia about lightning and thunder and may benefit from some extra comforting.  Don't put them down or try to minimize their fears.  Just accept them, like you would in a child, and try to reassure and comfort them, perhaps distract them with some fun and interesting activities.

May the only charge you get be enjoying RVing, OHVing, and camping!