advertisement

Why passengers stay safe if lightning hits planes, trains, automobiles

The odds of being hit by a lightning bolt in your lifetime? One in 13,000, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The odds of your Metra train being struck by lightning? Extremely unlikely, despite an apparent lightning strike to a Union Pacific North Line train Tuesday morning.

Metra and Union Pacific Railroad officials are still analyzing what happened after initial reports that lightning disabled an outbound train before 7 a.m. near the Rogers Park station in Chicago. The mishap resulted in additional delays for UP North trains during the morning rush.

Despite the inconvenience, trains, planes and automobiles are safe places to be during thunderstorms, experts say.

When lightning strikes a steel locomotive, freight or passenger car, the body of the vehicle forms a shield where the voltage travels over the outer surface, not the interior, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Grounding equipment on passenger trains carries electrical currents away from the metal shell and into the rail, where it returns to the ground.

The same principles apply to vehicles, said Don Hillebrand, director of Argonne National Laboratory's Transportation Research Center.

The metal shell of a car channels electrical current away, meaning "the voltage flows through the car, right past the people, and right into the ground through the tires," Hillebrand said.

What about planes? A large airplane that flies a typical 3,000 flight hours annually is projected to be struck by lightning every one to three years, Federal Aviation Administration officials said.

When conventional airplanes built of aluminum are hit by lightning, the electrical current flows through the outside structure - meaning passengers and crew members are unharmed.

So where's the most dangerous place to be in a thunderstorm?

Outside, explained the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's lightning safety expert John Jensenius.

"When thunder roars, go indoors," Jensenius said. "If you're outside, there's no safe place."

As of Aug. 26, there were 32 deaths from lightning in the U.S. this year.

Lightning deaths in 2016 are trending higher than the previous five-year average of 26 and 10-year average of 31.

In general, two-thirds of fatalities were related to leisure activities, NOAA reported. The greatest percentage were fishing-related.

"There are two factors (that cause fatalities), lightning, and where people are," Jensenius said. "Your behavior determines how vulnerable you are to a lightning strike."

Another intriguing fact - 80 percent of lightning victims are male.

"If you don't take lightning seriously, the odds are much higher," Jensenius said.

To learn more, go to www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/.

Lightning strikes St. Charles home, causes $150,000 in damage

The Latest: Dramatic scenes as 11 hit by lightning treated

Child in critical condition after Paris lightning strike

Lightning strikes kill 17-year-old in northern Arizona

Lightning strike kills more than 300 reindeer in Norway

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.