The Official Forum - thunder/lightning/question

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Yesterday the storms blew through in the afternoon and it made me wonder. What do you guys do when you don't see lightning but someone else does? Once a player said she saw it and once a parent approached me. Each time I asked both coaches and neither one saw anything. I kept looking and finally did see it. We , of course , cleared the field and we actually never got back on ( it stayed bad the rest of the day). I had no partner which made things difficult. Just curious what you would do in this situation where others see it but you or the coaches don't.

With threatening weather, if anybody sees lightning, that will be good enough for me.

Steve M

Always err on the side of caution! Lightning will probably only hit you once. If parents/players/coaches see it, look and you should see it also. If you are the only ump on the field, you may want to suspend and watch sky for 5 minutes or so. In our association, either umpire can suspend, and when 1 field suspends, all 6 stop also. It is then the field supervisor, and senior crew chief who decide to resume. As with most umpire decisions, whatever you call, someone will take exception, but lightning can zap any of us, respect it.

I pretty much agree with Steve, if someone at the park sees it, that is good enough to clear the fields.

I always make the parents my sky watchers. Coaches have a tendency to want to get the game in. Parents want to protect their kids.

-Kono

The following is from the National Weather Service:

Lightning - The Under-rated Weather Hazard
The Threat

Lightning is the #2 storm killer in the U.S., killing more than hurricanes or tornadoes. Only floods kill more. But the real story of lightning isn't the deaths, it's the injuries. Only about 10% of those struck are killed; 90% survive. But of the survivors, the large majority suffers life-long severe injury. These injuries are primarily neurological, with a wide range of symptoms, and are very difficult to diagnose. Lightning also causes about $5 billion of economic loss each year in the U.S.
Â*
The Solution
Public education is the key! The vast majority of lightning casualties can be easily, quickly, and cheaply avoided, if only the public knew what to do. The public needs increased awareness of the lightning hazard and increased knowledge of lightning safety.
Â*
Lightning Safety
Lightning safety is easy. But lightning safety is also inconvenient. It requires diligence and continual reinforcement and encouragement. Lightning safety is a multi-step process, with each step providing a decreasing level of protection Â– plan around the weather, and have a lightning safety plan.
<DIR>
No Place Outside is Safe Near Thunderstorms!
</DIR>
</DIR>
Step 1: If you are planning to be outside, watch the weather forecast and know your local weather patterns. Plan around the weather to avoid the lightning hazard.

Step 2: If you are going to be outside anyway, stay near proper shelter and use the Â‘30-30 Rule' to know when to seek proper shelter.
<DIR>
Â‘30-30 Rule' When you see lightning, count the time until you hear thunder. If this time is 30 seconds or less, seek proper shelter. If you can't see the lightning, just hearing the thunder is a good back-up rule. Wait 30 minutes or more after hearing the last thunder before leaving shelter.
</DIR>
Step 3: Seek proper shelter when required. Don't hesitate, seek shelter immediately. The lightning casualty stories are replete with events where people were about to make it to shelter when they were struck; if they'd just started a minute earlier, they'd have been safe.
<DIR>
Proper Shelter: The best shelter commonly available against lightning is a large fully enclosed substantially constructed building, e.g. your typical house. Substantially constructed means it has wiring and plumbing in the walls. Once inside, stay away from any conducting path to the outside. Stay off the corded telephone. Stay away from electrical appliances, lighting, and electric sockets. Stay away from plumbing. Don't watch lightning from windows or doorways. Inner rooms are generally better.

If you can't get to a house, a vehicle with a solid metal roof and metal sides is a reasonable second choice. As with a house, avoid contact with conducting paths going outside: close the windows, lean away from the door, put your hands in your lap, don't touch the steering wheel, ignition, gear shifter, or radio. Convertibles, cars with fiberglass or plastic shells, and open framed vehicles don't count as lightning shelters.

MYTH:
Cars are safe because the rubber tires insulate them from the ground.
TRUTH:
Cars are safe because of their metal shell.
</DIR>
Step 4: If you can't get to proper lightning shelter, at least avoid the most dangerous locations and activities. Avoid higher elevations. Avoid wide-open areas, including sports fields. Avoid tall isolated objects like trees, poles, and light posts. Avoid water-related activities: boating, swimming (includes indoor pools), and fishing. Avoid golfing. Avoid open vehicles like farm tractors, open construction vehicles, riding lawnmowers, golf carts (even with roofs), etc. Avoid unprotected open buildings like picnic pavilions, rain shelters, and bus stops. Avoid metal fences and metal bleachers.
<DIR>
<DIR>
DO NOT GO UNDER TREES TO KEEP DRY DURING THUNDERSTORMS!
</DIR>
</DIR>
Step 5: USE THIS AS A DESPERATE LAST RESORT ONLY! If you've made several bad decisions and are outside far away from proper shelter and lightning threatens, proceed to the safest location. If lightning is imminent, it will sometimes give a very few seconds of warning. Sometimes your hair will stand-up on end, or your skin will tingle, or light metal objects will vibrate, or you'll hear a crackling or "kee-kee" sound. If this happens and you're in a group, spread out so there are several body lengths between each person. If one person is struck, the others may not be hit and can give first aid. Once you've spread out, use the lightning crouch; put your feet together, squat down, tuck your head, and cover your ears. When the immediate threat of lightning has passed, continue heading to the safest spot possible. Remember, this is a desperate last resort; you are much safer having followed the previous steps and not gotten into this high-risk situation.

Step 6: All deaths from lightning are cardiac arrest and stopped breathing. CPR and mouth-to-mouth-resuscitation are the recommended first aid, respectively.
<DIR>
MYTH:
Lightning victims are electrified. If you touch them, you'll be electrocuted.
TRUTH:
It is perfectly safe to touch a lightning victim to give them first aid.
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NO LIGHTNING SAFETY GUIDELINES WILL GIVE 100% GUARANTEED TOTAL SAFETY, BUT THESE STEPS WILL HELP YOU AVOID THE VAST MAJORITY OF LIGHTNING CASUALTIES.
</DIR>
</DIR>
</DIR>
End of the National Weather Service information.


Some comments for umpires and coaches

Please notice that the recommendation of when to seek shelter immediately is visible lightning with 30 seconds or less between the lightning and the thunder.

THIS RECOMMENDATION IS TOO FREQUENTLY IGNORED.

Also please notice that softball complexes rarely contain a proper shelter.

GET YOUR TEAMS INTO YOUR VEHICLES IF A PROPER SHELTER IS NOT AVAILABLE.

DUGOUTS ARE NOT A PROPER SHELTER.

CONCESSION STANDS ARE NOT A PROPER SHELTER.

STAY AWAY FROM BLEACHERS, BACKSTOPS, CHAIN-LINK FENSES, AND OPEN FIELDS.

DO NOT ALLOW YOUR DAUGHTERS / PLAYERS TO STAND NEAR METAL FENCING HOLDING AN ALUMINUM BAT.

DO NOT ALLOW YOUR DAUGHTERS / PLAYERS TO STAND OUT IN AN OPEN FIELD.

IN OTHER WORDS, SUSPEND THE GAME AND TAKE SHELTER.

COACHES, DONÂ’T WAIT FOR THE UMPIRE.

UMPIRES, DONÂ’T WAIT FOR THE COACHES.

A 5 minute wait is not good enough. 30 minutes from the last bolt seen - regardless of whether it looks "far" away or not.

Steve M

Another good indicator of lightning is thunder. If you hear the runble, but don't see the lightning, you can be assured that it is in the area. If the thunder is close enough to hear, the lightning is close enough to strike you.

Remember: If you see it, flee it; if you hear it, clear it.

SamC

That is some great information. I knew Mother Earth received a tremendous number of lightning strikes (200 per minute or something like that) but had no idea that it was the number 2 rated storm killer... more than hurricanes and tornadoes.

Thanks Tom.

A lot of colleges now have "Lighting Sensors" that somehow detect lightning up to 20 miles away. Most have them set for 7-10 miles. If they go off, we clear the field for 30 minutes without any more alarms.

No questions asked, we just move.

At any other level, if it is seen, we are done for 30 mins. If someone doesn't like it, we go home early.

Tom, Steve, Kono, SamC. and all the others, good advice.

I was involved in a game where a player was struck and killed
by lightning when I was in the service. We saw the clouds, heard
the thunder, but were dumb-a** and kept right on playing. We learned
a lesson at the expensive of one of our friends. Not a pretty
sight by any means. His shoes were actually smoking. Anytime
someone tells me there is threating bad weather, if no dector is
available, then when thunder booms, play stops.

glen

All good advice. Steve M, to clarify my previous post, I meant wait 5 minutes +/- so the Ump can verify lightning. He stated he was alone at plate, if it is behind him, he wouldnt be able to see it as well as if a two man crew were calling. As for parents calling the lightning delay, they are the ones who get mad when we do call a delay! Still always err on the side of caution! Would rather have parents/coaches/fans upset at a delay than a death!

I was the Director for a Holiday 12U BB tournament a few years ago when the weather was threatening. I really wanted to get this tournament done. Every 5 -8 minutes someone would say they saw lightning, though usually from a different direction. Though I heard rumbling in the distance, I never saw any lightening. Then my attention was diverted for a few minutes.

Suddenly I felt scared. Everything was silent; the light was an ugly yellow-green. I looked up into the West and saw what looked like a long Lake Michigan wave rolling directly at us. I have never seen anything like this; it was hideous in color and tiny sparks of lightning were jumping in it. I panicked and ran to the fields, screaming at the umpires to kill the game and get everybody to the parking lot.

Within minutes we were enveloped in a horrible storm. Very few got to their cars without being soaked; dozens more were trapped under the pavilion. The lightening snapped and cracked and rain came down in buckets, so fast that we soon had 4" of standing water in the outfield grass!

No one hurt, but lesson learned! Never again will I keep anyone on the field just for a lousy ball game. Now I follow the guidlines explicitly .

WMB

Several respondents stated that my 15 minute time frame is too short. I'm going to have to re-think this. I,m trying to get a balance between safety and getting the game over if we have a number of interruptions. What do you guys/gals think? Pat O'Reilly

Quote:

Originally posted by Steve M
A 5 minute wait is not good enough. 30 minutes from the last bolt seen - regardless of whether it looks "far" away or not.

Steve M

30 minute wait from either last bolt seen OR last thunder heard. And a new 30 begins with each sight or sound.