How to stay safe when lightning strikes

Being struck by lightning is rare, however, all storms are dangerous and have the potential to become deadly.

Two Glacier High School soccer players and an assistant coach were hit by lightning during practice on Monday evening.

One of the players remains in the ICU at Logan Health in Kalispell.

With the very active weather Montana has experienced so far this summer, it's important to remember lightning safety.

• All thunderstorms produce lightning and are dangerous .
• Lightning often strikes outside the area of heavy rain and may strike as far as 10 miles from any rainfall . Many lightning deaths occur ahead of storms before any rain arrives or after storms have seemingly passed and the rain has ended.
• If you can hear thunder, you are in danger. Don’t be fooled by blue skies. If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to pose an immediate threat.
• Avoid open areas. Don’t be the tallest object in the area.
• Stay away from isolated tall trees, towers or utility poles. Lightning tends to strike the taller objects in an area.
• Stay away from metal conductors such as wires or fences. Metal does not attract lightning, but lightning can travel long distances through it.
• If you get caught outside with a group of people, spread out. While this actually increases the chance that someone might get struck, it tends to prevent multiple injuries and increases the chances that someone could help if a person is struck.

Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides additional information
about lightning safety here .