lightning

[SAump]

There was a situation in Grapeland, TX in 2004 where an entire football team, 40+ people, was hit by one strike, one player killed. Everything I've ever read about the case indicated there was no previous lightning seen by anyone, no warning.

The bottom line is no one can predict when or where lightning will strike. However, everyone will know when and where after a lightning strike because of the inherent danger involved. If you're too close, your vision turns ghostly white and if your so lucky, you're left feeling thunderous reverberations for a short time. No doubt, people nearby will leave with the feeling that they could have been killed. The inconvenience of waiting 30 minutes pales in comparison to the possible danger. Clear the field, dugouts, stands, trees, etc., and seek shelter inside a building or car.

http://www.intellicast.com/Storm/Severe/Lightning.aspx
Every weather service provider tracks lightning to ground strikes over the US. You may be surprised by the high number of occurences (1000's) during relatively clear days. There is much better lightning data (10's of 1000's) available during major TS events. One may be surprised by the high number of strikes over large areas in very short time periods {lightning strikes 100's of mile away sec after sec in every direction}. Should a lightning bolt cause any harm at a sporting event, one can easily request this data for litigation.

Remember, 300-mile long thunderstorm lines are moving 30-mph or faster, with TS cells within them moving 60-mph or faster and regenerating as much electricity in mere seconds as many water powered turbines generate in days. It would be much wiser to follow the 30/30 recommendation above. Although lightning may happen w/out warning and this occurence happens relatively often; those concerned w/the possible danger of a lightning strike will raise the question, "How did you know that?"