91Èȱ¬

AlongsideÌýhis manyÌýcredentials as a skilledÌýorator, the US President has now addedÌýa timely dose ofÌýweather wisdomÌýto his portfolio.

I wasÌýduly impressed.

YesterdayÌýafternoon (Monday) -ÌýinÌýtorrential rain and with lightning striking close by -ÌýBarack Obama attempted to start his speech, to huge crowds gathered at the in Elwood, Illinois, some 50 miles south of Chicago.

WithÌýa severe thunderstorm booming directly overhead; squally winds from the storm's downdraft tugged at the President's large umbrella. Standing at the lecturn, the PresidentÌýimmediately outlinedÌýa clear and present danger.

"We are a little bit concerned about lightning... this may not be safe," he told the thousands listening. "A little bit of rainÌýdoesn't hurt anybody,Ìýbut we don't want anybody being struck by lightning."Ìý

Urging everyone to return toÌýtheir cars (and they're ), he was absoluely right to call proceedings to a halt.

In such circumstances, crowds standing close togetherÌýin an open, exposed location, in wet clothes, is a recipe for lightning injury or fatality.ÌýIn previous similar circumstances, multiple casualties have occurred simultaneously - , affecting bothÌýplayers and spectactors alike. As well as direct cloud-to-ground strikes to humans, lightning canÌýside-flash off stadium structures, trees and such-like to injure or killÌýpeople. Closer to home, we've seen some decidedly hazardous conditions from , for example.

Lightning is a major weather perilÌýacross the USA, something President Obama will have been acutely aware ofÌýas he called-off his speech. In fact, there's a .

Indeed, in most years it causes more deaths thereÌýthan hurricanes or tornados: typically, some 60 people are killed across theÌýnation each year, with some 600 injured. Florida sees the highest number of casualties and in an average lifetime of 80 years, a US citizen has an estimated 1/6250 chance of being hit by lightning. However, only 10% of those struck are killed: 90% survive, .

Back here in the UK, we're entering the period when thunderstorms tend to become most prevalent, as the transitional and often very variableÌýphase of cooler toÌýwarmer conditions experiencedÌýin May leads (we hope!)Ìýinto summer.Ìý

I'm concerned at the lack of lightning-savvy, reckless or extremely foolhardyÌýbehaviour sometimes seenÌýin our country as threatening weather looms. For example, people continuing to shelter beneath trees during electrical storms; or insisting on playing aÌýfinal round on a golf course; or continuing aÌýhill-walking excursionÌýtowards a rain-lashed peakÌýas thunder rumbles all around. In a later blog this summer, I'll expand on some of these safetyÌýissues and examine the statistics nationally for lightning-related deaths and injuries.

Meantime, in my 91Èȱ¬ forecasts here,ÌýI am always at pains to highlightÌýany threat of thunderstorms. However, I always talk of the "risk of lightning", rather than the "risk of thunder" I hearÌýmentionedÌýin some forecasts.

Yes, there have been some injuries and fatalities caused by thunder in the direct senseÌý(e.g., riders suddenly dismounted by startled horses), but lightning is the potent threat (then resulting inÌýthe thunder), not the other way around!

I've seen first-hand,Ìýwhile working with back in the 1990's, just how devastating lightning can be to people and property. I've witnessed major property fires resulting from it; house roofs virtually blown to smithereens; an entire herd of cattle killed overnightÌýand on one occasion, we even had two of ourÌýfirefighters struck.

They were hit simultaneously as they worked to extinguish a rooftop fire on a house north of Watford andÌýwere extremely fortunate to avoid major injury. Oh - and the cause of the fire they were tackling?ÌýA lightning strike, justÌýa short time earlier...so much for "lightning never strikes twice", just one element inÌý!

Have you ever experienced lightning strikes to your home, or even to you, your familyÌýor friends? I'd be fascinated to hear your stories in the blog comments section below.

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