Lake Zurich to install system that predicts lightning strikes

Lake Zurich parks will soon receive a system that predicts when lightning might strike.

In the next few weeks, Paulus, Staples, Braemar and Lions parks will receive lightning alert equipment from Thor Guard Inc., a Florida-based company that produces lightning prediction systems.

The Lake Zurich Village Board and the Lake Zurich Baseball and Softball Association are each spending about $15,000 on the equipment, Village Administrator Bob Vitas said.

The system will be able to detect lightning before it strikes, Vitas said. The equipment monitors temperature, air mass and air movement to determine if conditions are right for lightning, he said.

The system can detect possible lightning within a 1-mile radius, said Michael Perkins, director of the village's parks and recreation department. After detection, the equipment will send out a warning signal that can be heard within 11/2 blocks, he said. There will also be a strobe light to warn people nearby.

"The system is really meant as an added safety measure so that people take cover," Vitas said.

The village will install a main unit at Paulus Park, with a satellite at Braemer Park, Perkins said. The baseball and softball association already received equipment and will install its main unit next week at Fire Station 1, 321 S. Buesching Road. It will have satellites at Lions Park and Staples Park, he said.

The prediction system was first brought to the table last year by the baseball and softball association, which wanted to improve safety for its approximate 1,600 participants.

"Our goal is to get the kids and parents to safety before there's lightning in the area," said Scott Pappas, secretary to the association's board. "... It's really to prevent the bolt-out-of-the-blue kind of deal."

Deputy Fire Chief Dave Wheelock said lightning is a very real threat in the area because of the numerous outdoor sporting activities during the summer months. The system will increase residents' safety by providing early lightning detection, he said.

"A lot of these storms sneak up on people," Wheelock said. "They see the dark clouds coming, and they think, 'Oh, I've got time,' when actually the conditions are right (for lightning)."

Lake Zurich Unit District 95 will not be covered under the planned lightning prediction system, Perkins said.

"The hope is that maybe other organizations or the school district would be willing to purchase (their own units)," he added.