'Most prevalent threat': Tips for staying safe in thunderstorms
With summer here, many Manitobans will be spending time outside taking part in activities such as swimming, gardening and camping. However, with more time spent outside comes weather-related risks, with one of the biggest dangers being lightning.
Natalie Hasell, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada, explained that lightning is the discharge of a huge amount of current that comes out of a thunderstorm.
“It is the most common, most prevalent threat that we face in the summer,” Hasell said in an interview with CTV Morning Live on Monday.
“We get thousands and thousands of thunderstorms in Manitoba, across the Prairies pretty much every year.”
The meteorologist noted that it’s important for people to pay attention to the forecast, as a thunderstorm can form in as little as 20 minutes if the conditions are right.”
“Every thunderstorm is defined by lightning. Every thunderstorm is therefore dangerous even if there isn’t an alert or a severe thunderstorm watch or a severe thunderstorm warning.” Hasell said.
Hasell warned that lightning can cause damage, injury and even death, which is why it’s important to take the necessary precautions.
For those who are in the city during a thunderstorm, it’s best to seek shelter in a well-constructed building.
“[A building] with electrical, with plumbing,” Hasell explained.
“But you don’t want to interact with those things since all of those things can conduct electricity, so you don’t want to be playing with that.”
Anyone who is outdoors should try to get to a low-lying area, because you don’t want to be the tallest object in the region.
“It won’t reduce your risk to nothing, because lightning hits where it hits, it doesn’t necessarily only hit the tallest objects around,” the meteorologist said, adding that it’s also good to avoid metal fencing and to get off the water unless you’re on a boat with a grounding plate.
As for whether vehicles are appropriate shelter, Hasell said it depends on what the car is made of.
- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 employees across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.