Lightning can be defined as a transient, high-current (typically tens of kiloamperes) electric discharge in the air with a length measured in kilometers. The evidence categories adhere to the American Family Physician's Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT) for grading evidence in the medical literature. The following recommendations are based on the most recent updates in lightning safety. The purpose of this position statement is to encourage proper lightning-safety policies and to educate athletic trainers and others involved with athletic or recreational activities about the hazards of lightning so they can be proactive in preventing lightning-related trauma. Each person should also ensure his or her own safety when a lightning hazard is present. 11 All individuals, particularly leaders in athletics and recreational activities, should appreciate the lightning hazard, learn the published lightning-safety guidelines, act prudently, and encourage safe behavior in others. 5, 17 Education regarding lightning danger and precautions to lessen the likelihood of being struck by lightning are critical to reducing casualties. On average, 25 million lightning flashes strike the ground each year in the United States. This map portrays the regions of highest cloud-to-ground lightning strikes (Florida and the Southeast) and the areas with the least frequent strikes (the West Coast and Western states). 16 Worldwide, lightning causes an estimated 24 000 deaths and about 240 000 injuries annually. ![]() Other factors include the tendency for lightning in the western US to occur without concurrent heavy rain and for it to strike occasionally during snowstorms. Indeed, people living in areas with less thunderstorm activity, such as the Pacific Coast, need to be particularly attentive when lightning does occur because they may ordinarily be less aware of the potential threat. 15 However, no location in the United States is safe from lightning. The areas with the most lightning activity are Florida, the Gulf States, the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys, the front range of the Southern Rocky Mountains, and parts of the Southwest ( Figure 1). 4, 12 – 14 Certain areas of the United States have greater thunderstorm activity than others coupled with larger populations, exposure to this threat is often greater. Lightning is a widespread danger to the physically active population, in part because of the prevalence of afternoon to early evening thunderstorms from late spring to early fall and a societal trend toward outdoor physical activities during those times. ![]() B Totals do not sum to 100 because of rounding.
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