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However, we are now being told, if you hear thunder, there must be lightning. Hmmm.
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Same as if you hear a gunshot, there must be a gun. If you hear thunder, there IS lightning (somewhere) that made the sound.
The reason (I think) for the extreme caution is the unpredictability of where lightning will strike in the area around an approaching thunderstorm. We used to use the countdown method to judge the distance of lightning (see the lightning, count one-thoudand-one, one-thousand-two, etc, until you hear the thunder. The lightning is count/5 miles away. If you counted to 15, it is 3 miles away, etc.) But, since lightning CAN strike on the extreme edges of the storm, or even well ahead of it, this method is not really useful for figuring a safety margin. And, the thunder will travel farther than you will be able to see the lightning, since the lightning can be hidden by trees, buildings, or clouds.
Add this unpredictability to the current fearful culture (one where we think it is necessary to disinfect our entire environment), toss in a few lawyers, add a few news stories (like in the post above), and, well, here we are.
Even so, I won't mess with lightning on a softball field.