BEFORE THAT REALLY ROLLS IN TOMORROW. THUNDERSTORMS, WARM AND HUMID. THE HEAVIEST STORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. SUNDAY. WE鈥橰E MUGGY, WITH MORE SCATTERED STORMS, ESPECIALLY AFTER ABOUT 3 OR 4:00 AND THEN MEMORIAL DAY. IT鈥橲 JUST RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS AT TIMES, AND BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY THINGS GOING ON OUTDOORS, METEOROLOGIST JORDAN WEST, WE GOT TO KNOW HOW TO KEEP OURSELVES SAFE FROM THE LIGHTNING. THAT鈥橲 RIGHT. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS VIDEO SENT IN BY KRISTEN CLARKE. I MEAN, LOOK AT THAT LIGHTNING THERE STRIKING THAT TOWER SPREAD OUT PRETTY QUICKLY. AND THAT IS JUST AS DANGEROUS AS DAMAGING WINDS OR LARGE HAIL AS WELL. SO YOU WANT TO TAKE LIGHTNING SERIOUSLY. AND WHEN WE HAVE THIS IMPACT WEATHER COMING IN SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY AND TUESDAY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, DURING THE AFTERNOON, THAT鈥橲 WHEN THE LIGHTNING REALLY STARTS TO PEAK. SO IF YOU鈥橰E HEADED OUT TO LAKE OR A POOL, YOU鈥橪L DEFINITELY WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE LIGHTNING IS AND IF IT鈥橲 HEADED YOUR WAY. SO MAKE SURE YOU DOWNLOAD THE 米兰体育 13 APP. THE REALLY COOL THING ABOUT OUR APP IS THAT IF YOU TURN ON YOUR LOCATION, IT CAN DETECT WHERE THE LIGHTNING IS SURROUNDING AND NEAR YOU. SO IT鈥橪L SEND YOU A NOTIFICATION SAYING, IN THIS CASE, LIGHTNING DETECTED APPROXIMATELY 4.2 MILES AWAY. THAT WAY YOU CAN GO INTO THE APP AND IT鈥橪L SHOW YOU, HEY, THERE鈥橲 LIGHTNING HEADED YOUR WAY AND YOU NEED TO HEAD INDOORS. IF YOU鈥橰E IN A POOL OR A LAKE AND LIGHTNING HITS IT, IT CONDUCTS AND IT CAN SPREAD OUT AND IT CAN BE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SO MAK
Lightning 101: Alabama's Lightning Season peaks in the summer, but lightning strikes year-round
Lightning 101: Facts, Myths, and Safety Tips
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Updated: 5:43 PM CDT May 23, 2025
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Alabama's Lightning Season begins in late July and ends in early August, but lightning strikes year-round. Misconceptions spread about lightning, and the wrong information could be dangerous. LIGHTNING MYTHSIf trapped outside during a lightning storm, lie flat on the ground.People are safe from lightning, even if it's not raining or there are no clouds.Lightning never strikes the same place twice.Metal structures attract lightning. LIGHTNING FACTSLying flat increases your chance of being affected by potentially deadly ground currents."Bolts from the blue" can strike 10-15 miles from the thunderstorm.The Empire State Building is hit an average of 23 times a year.Metal conducts lightning, but height, pointy shape, and isolation are the dominant factors.LIGHTNING SAFETY TIPSSeek ShelterStay off corded electrical equipment such as wired phones, chargers, and computers. Avoid plumbing, sinks, baths, and faucets. While pure water is not a conductor, tap water with minerals is a great conductor of electricity. Don't lay on concrete floors or walls because concrete is a good conductor. HOW LIGHTNING FORMS All matter and substances contain positive charges (protons) and negative charges (electrons), usually an equal amount of each, as protons and electrons attract one another. Lightning forms when protons and electrons attract, after being separated through friction. Thunderstorms develop when warm-moist air rises (updraft), but water particles freeze at a certain altitude, making large ice particles (hail or graupel) and small ice particles in tall storm clouds. These ice particles collide with one another (friction) as they rise, keeping electrons in the larger particles (hail or graupel) and protons in the smaller particles. Electrons are more easily transferred because they typically occupy the outside of an atom within a particle, the larger ice crystals also have a higher chance of friction, thus increasing the electrons within the larger ice crystals as they collide. Protons typically occupy the inward nucleus within an atom within a particle, making them harder to transfer and will stay within the smaller ice particles. This puts protons associated with the smaller particles at the top of the cloud and electrons associated with the larger crystals and hail at the base of the cloud, through buoyancy. Electrons attract with protons from the surface to create cloud-to-ground lightning and connect with protons at the top of the cloud to create intra-lightning. NWS FULL LIST OF LIGHTNING MYTHS
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama's Lightning Season begins in late July and ends in early August, but lightning strikes year-round. Misconceptions spread about lightning, and the wrong information could be dangerous.
LIGHTNING MYTHS
- If trapped outside during a lightning storm, lie flat on the ground.
- People are safe from lightning, even if it's not raining or there are no clouds.
- Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
- Metal structures attract lightning.
LIGHTNING FACTS
- Lying flat increases your chance of being affected by potentially deadly ground currents.
- "Bolts from the blue" can strike 10-15 miles from the thunderstorm.
- The Empire State Building is hit an average of 23 times a year.
- Metal conducts lightning, but height, pointy shape, and isolation are the dominant factors.
LIGHTNING SAFETY TIPS
- Seek Shelter
- Stay off corded electrical equipment such as wired phones, chargers, and computers.
- Avoid plumbing, sinks, baths, and faucets. While pure water is not a conductor, tap water with minerals is a great conductor of electricity.
- Don't lay on concrete floors or walls because concrete is a good conductor.
HOW LIGHTNING FORMS
All matter and substances contain positive charges (protons) and negative charges (electrons), usually an equal amount of each, as protons and electrons attract one another.
Lightning forms when protons and electrons attract, after being separated through friction.
Thunderstorms develop when warm-moist air rises (updraft), but water particles freeze at a certain altitude, making large ice particles (hail or graupel) and small ice particles in tall storm clouds.
These ice particles collide with one another (friction) as they rise, keeping electrons in the larger particles (hail or graupel) and protons in the smaller particles.
Electrons are more easily transferred because they typically occupy the outside of an atom within a particle, the larger ice crystals also have a higher chance of friction, thus increasing the electrons within the larger ice crystals as they collide.
Protons typically occupy the inward nucleus within an atom within a particle, making them harder to transfer and will stay within the smaller ice particles.
This puts protons associated with the smaller particles at the top of the cloud and electrons associated with the larger crystals and hail at the base of the cloud, through buoyancy.
Electrons attract with protons from the surface to create cloud-to-ground lightning and connect with protons at the top of the cloud to create intra-lightning.
