1/22/2024 0 Comments Lightning atc extension![]() Recently some hikers caught in an open area in a thunderstorm encountered what they described as a fireball moving through the water toward them when heavy rains had fallen. ![]() Water does not need to be deep to conduct electricity. Move away from ponds, lakes, streams, and even puddles. Move away from water, including the Trail itself, if a downpour has turned it into a stream.Communications towers, monuments, and bear poles are features you might need to avoid on the A.T. Avoid caves, which are dangerous when lightning travels along the ground.Īvoid any tall features that stand out from the surroundings, such as isolated trees and tall structures. Position yourself the maximum distance away from tree trunks. Unless you happen to be near your car (with a metal roof) or have access to a substantial, enclosed modern building, the lower slopes of a forest are the safest place. Run for cover – the cover of a forest.But any place is hazardous where you become the tallest feature in the surrounding area such as on cliff edges, rocky overhangs, and observation platforms. Summits and ridgelines above the treeline in New England are also especially dangerous, too fatalities have occurred on Franconia Ridge and on Katahdin. Fatalities have occurred on Max Patch in North Carolina and Cold Mountain in Virginia. in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia can be especially dangerous. Balds (treeless summits that occur below the treeline) such as those found along the A.T. Immediately move away from open areas, summits, and ridgelines.Some areas, however, offer considerably less risk than others. In remote areas of the A.T., absolute safety cannot be guaranteed. If you’re on the Trail when a storm is imminent and you hear thunder, see lightning, or spot threatening skies, you need to get away from the most dangerous places and seek places with lower risk. If you’re on a long-distance hike, you may be many miles from safety, so you need to know how to minimize your risk. If you’re planning a day-hike, you might alter your plans by choosing another day or location, or shortening your hike to be off the Trail by the time storms arrive, which are often in the afternoon during summer. The site provides forecasts for shelters along the A.T. Having a NOAA weather radio is ideal weather websites and apps can give you forecasts ahead of time and send you alerts for thunderstorms. Monitoring forecasts and avoiding the most lightning-prone areas for storms are key. Plan Ahead––check the weather forecast and avoid hazardous weather. However, getting out of high-risk areas can mean the difference between life and death. If you are on an extended hike and far from civilization, you may not have the option of getting to the safest places (a car with a metal roof or a substantial, modern building). Many more have been struck-some of whom made a full recovery, while others suffered severe and lasting injuries. At least four people are known to have been killed on the A.T. can be extremely dangerous in a lightning storm. While the odds of being struck randomly by lightning are very low-you’re six times more likely to die from an injury sustained by slipping in your bathtub-some areas along the A.T. If you’re on the Appalachian Trail, especially in summer, you’re bound to observe lightning if you’re out long enough. ![]() If you need help reframing how you think about lightning, consider how describes the impact of a lightning strike: “Roughly equivalent to the kill radius and injury radius of a hand grenade.” But, do respect the danger that this powerful force of nature can unleash that animals instinctively understand. I’m not suggesting you crawl under a bed and whimper every time a storm passes over or jump, quivering, into the lap of your best friend. Perhaps we should take more cues from our pets. “Oh, sure, a few people die from lightning,” we might say, “but not me.” Because we’ve seen it so many times without any harm, we tend to be dismissive and think it is something that won’t ever affect us personally. Most of us have seen lightning thousands of times-from the safety of our cars or houses, on a small or large screen, and occasionally out in the wild. Perhaps we view it like a rainbow or comet-something far away, majestic and beautiful, that will never touch us. However, many of us tend to be too cavalier, not thinking about the force and destruction it can unleash. ![]() Lightning is one of the most spectacular and powerful phenomena in nature, with power to kill or maim people, explode trees, and start wildfires. Who doesn’t thrill to the dazzling sight of lightning pulsing through the sky, flickering out of dark thunderclouds like the tongue of a gargantuan snake high in the sky? Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. ![]()
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