5 things you may not know about LIGHTNING:

Lightning kills about 100 people in the United States each year, more than hurricanes or tornadoes do, and claimed the life of a South Carolina man this week.

Another 300 people are injured by lightning, often suffering long-term, debilitating symptoms, including brain damage.

It's not sissy to be afraid of lightning, it's just smart.

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No. 1

Survivors suffer: The electricity flowing within a lightning bolt can reach 200 million volts. Lightning kills about 100 people a year in the United States, but it inflicts severe, debilitating injuries on many more. It injures 1,000 people in the United States each year. Symptoms may not occur until a month after the strike and could include memory loss, sleep disturbance, chronic pain, dizziness and personality changes.

No. 2

The 30/30 rule: When you see lightning, count the time until you hear thunder. If it’s 30 seconds or less, the storm is close enough to be dangerous, so seek shelter, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A house or fully enclosed structure is the best shelter. Stay away from telephones, appliances and plumbing. Don’t watch lightning from windows or doorways. A car with a metal roof and sides is your next-best protection. It’s the metal shell that protects you, not the rubber tires. After the last lightning flash, wait 30 minutes before leaving the shelter.

No. 3

We live in a hot zone: South Carolina ranks 13th in the nation in the number of lightning deaths. According to the National Lightning Safety Institute, 19 people died from lightning in the state from 1990 through 2003. You’re at highest risk in Florida, where lightning killed 126 people in the same time frame.

On Monday, a Hilton Head man was struck and killed by lightning as he walked along the beach. The last reported lightning fatality in the Charleston area was a year ago in July, when an 82-year-old man died after being struck while gardening outside his James Island home. The National Weather Service in Charleston recorded 214 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes within the hour he died.

No. 4

It’s unpredictable: In June, a Florida landscaper died after being struck by lightning outside a home even though it wasn’t raining. Although lightning always originates from a parent thunderstorm cloud, the storm can be more than 10 miles away from the lightning strike. Lightning from a seemingly clear sky is referred to as “a bolt from the blue.”

No. 5

Are iPods and cellphones safe? There have been several reports of people struck by lightning while talking on cellphones or listening to iPods, but these objects do not increase your chances of getting struck, according to the Lightning Research Center at the University of Florida. Lightning tends to strike taller objects. Most reported injuries are due to the fact the people struck by lightning were the tallest items around, not because of the portable electronic devices they were using. Still, it’s probably not a good idea to leave ear buds in your ears during a storm due to metal wires that conduct electricity, the center advises.

as provided by Charleston Post & Courier