Expert reveals top leisure activity for lightning dangers. Hint, it's not golf

After recognizing an alarming number of lightning fatalities while working as a meteorologist in New England, one man has made it his life's mission to spread awareness and educate the public to avoid these tragic casualties each year.

Twenty years ago, John Jensenius determined that the reason so many people were being struck was that they simply didn't seem to understand the dangers that lightning can pose.  

Lightning ranks among the most deadly types of weather elements in the United States, and those who survive a strike often suffer lifelong neurological damage — but Jensenius believes the dangers are easily avoidable if people know the safety protocols.

Jensenius believed that because death by lightning is a preventable tragedy, educating people about the perils would help to save lives and avoid serious lifelong effects that come with lightning injuries. So, in 1999, Jensenius set out to organize the first-ever Lightning Safety Week for the states of Maine and New Hampshire.  

In 2001, he knew they had to expand to the entire country since the problem wasn't just in Maine and New Hampshire, it was all over the United States.

When the Lightning Safety Awareness campaign started in 2001, the 10-year average was 55 deaths per year in the nation. That number has dropped to 26 deaths per year thanks to more public awareness of the dangers, and this year, June 21-27 marks the 20th Lightning Safety Awareness Week.

The safety week falls just ahead of the peak time for fatal lightning strikes in the U.S. Data shows that 70% of all lightning deaths happen in June, July, and August, with July being the deadliest month on average.

Jensenius spent 42 years of his life working as a meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS). His accomplishments in statistical weather prediction and as a top lightning expert made him the winner of the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal Award in 1993. In 2019, he left the NWS and became a lightning safety specialist for the National Lightning Safety Council.

Over the years, it wasn't just Jensenius' skill in meteorology and lightning science that made him the go-to expert. His unique approach in getting the word out about lightning safety and making it accessible to the masses catapulted him to fame in the weather community.

Jensenius' passion for educating the public with his alter-ego character styled after Albert Einstein has earned him the apt nickname Doctor Lightning.

Dr. Lightning began attending public events to spread the message: “When thunder roars, go indoors.”

In an interview with AccuWeather's Monica Danielle, Dr. Lightning shared little-known facts and top tips for staying safe — and if you are a man — you may want to listen up. Jensenius found that men account for 80% of all lightning fatalities, which is likely due to their behavior. 

“In terms of gender, men are four times as likely to be struck and killed by lightning as women. Really when it comes down to it, men are involved in more vulnerable activities. For example, men often work outside more. If we look at leisure activities, men are more likely to be fishing, they're more likely be out boating or camping, so those are all more things that make men more vulnerable,” Jensenius said.

There are some commonly believed lightning myths that can lead to dangerous behaviors if people don't understand the facts. Jensenius thinks the top myth that people believe is that metal attracts lightning.

“Lightning is not attracted toward anything; it tends to strike the tallest object in the immediate area. So if you're outside and, for example, you have some jewelry or perhaps some coins in your pocket, that's not going to attract lightning. It's really the fact that you're outside that makes it dangerous,” Jensenius said.

According to Jensenius, the same goes for water. Contrary to popular belief, water doesn't attract lightning. 

“However, you are the tallest object in the immediate area, so you are more likely to be struck by lightning. So, you certainly don't want to be out in the water in a thunderstorm,” Jensenius said.

In 2006, Jensenius started a detailed database to focus more on where a person was and what they were doing when they were fatally struck.

“I started to focus more on the activity that the person was involved in which made he or she vulnerable to being struck. That database has grown since 2006, and when we look at that database, we can see what activities seem to be causing the most lightning deaths, and then focus some of our outreach efforts on those particular activities,” Jensenius said.

For example, a quite common leisure activity -- fishing -- tops the list. 

“I don't think people realized until we started studying the facts that fishing causes more lightning deaths, than, for example, golf,” Jensenius said.

Since 2006, 40 lightning deaths were reported while people were fishing compared to those that were playing golf, which accounted for 10 lightning deaths over the same time frame, according to Jensenius. 

“Four times as many people have been killed fishing as golfing, yet golf seems to come to mind when people think of lightning fatalities,” Jensenius said.

Lightning safety should begin with monitoring the forecast if you have any outdoor plans, Jensenius said. If you will be far away from a safe building or a vehicle, he advises making sure you can get to a safe place quickly should thunderstorms approach. If you can't make it to a safe and fully-enclosed shelter, Jensenius suggests canceling or postponing your activity.

“If you are outdoors and you can't get inside a substantial building, a hard top metal vehicle is a safe place to go." Jensenius said. "Just make sure you're fully inside." He explained that you are not safe in a vehicle because of the rubber tires -- another common myth. The metal shell of the vehicle is what provides safety. "When lightning strikes cars, it simply follows that metal around the car then into the ground, leaving you safe inside,” he said.

There is one instance where it's still OK to go outside even if the weather conditions are unsettled, according to Jensenius.

“If it's just raining and thunderstorms aren't in the forecast, if it's just a steady gentle rain, then it's safe to go outside. However, if thunderstorms are in the forecast and it is raining, you might get that lightning strike at any time. So in that case, it would not be safe to go out,” Jensenius said.

Besides staying tuned to the forecast before heading out for an activity, it's important to remain alert while enjoying the outdoors.

“When you are outside, it’s important to keep a watchful eye on the sky, monitor the weather, and, if you do see either an approaching storm or if you hear thunder, you need to get to a safe place quickly. Once you're in that safe place, we also recommend that you stay there for 30 minutes after the last thunder,” Jensenius said. “People have to realize that there just simply is no safe place outside in a thunderstorm. You need to get inside to be safe."

Even though you can't stop lightning from striking, preventative measures can keep you, your family and your home safe.

“When you have a thunderstorm, you're going to have lightning. However, one of the things you can do, whether it's a building or your home is you can put up some lightning protection,” Jensenius said, adding that often people think of lightning rods when it comes to protecting your home.

A lightning rod is designed to intercept lightning and conduct it down into the ground, so it doesn't cause major damage to buildings. 

In areas where there tends to be a lot of lightning, many homes and buildings have some sort of lightning protection, he said. 

“Back in Ben Franklin's day, the real purpose of having that lightning rod was to protect the home from a fire. Oftentimes, if lightning struck a house, it would go through the wood, it would be heated up and cause a fire in the house and it would burn down," Jensenius said. "So, Franklin invented the lightning rod, so that it would redirect the lightning around the house."

Nowadays, however, with all the electronics in houses, the purpose of the lightning rod or the protection system is to help protect the electronics in the house. Keep in mind, a protection system may be expensive, but it's most likely cheaper than what could potentially be lost from a lightning strike, Jensenius noted.

“Another factor is how likely is lightning to strike in your house. If you're living in a state like Florida, which has a lot of lightning, your [home is] much more likely to be struck by lightning than, for example, if you're living in Alaska,” Jensenius pointed out.

Dr. Lightning's safety rules:

• If you are outside and you hear thunder, you need to get into a substantial building right away. If you can't get to a substantial building, get inside a hard-top, fully-enclosed vehicle.

• Stay away from anything that would conduct electricity toward you, which includes anything that plugs into the wall and plumbing. 

• Avoid washing dishes.

• Avoid doing laundry. 

• Avoid taking a shower.

• Wait 30 minutes before you go outside again.

• If you are outside and somebody is struck, call 911 immediately. 

• Check the person to see if they need CPR; see if they're alert. If they do need CPR, it is important to start it right away. Jensenius reports CPR has saved many lives of people that have been struck by lightning.

Reporting by Monica Danielle.

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