U.S. Lightning Fatalities Graphic

Here's a great graphic out of NOAA showing United States Lightning Fatalities from 2006 - 2015. So far the deadliest year has been 2006 with 48 deaths. The graphic also shows which gender the fatality was, which is interesting because it's almost 80% male!! 

Lightning is a very dangerous aspect of any thunderstorm, even non-severe storms! Remember, if you can hear thunder then you're close enough to be struck by lightning! Also, many people believe thunder and lightning are separate events but lighting is the action that causes thunder to occur! 

When a storm is headed your way, please seek shelter immediately, stay away from windows and don't use your plumbing (sink, shower). If a house is directly struck by lightning, the energy can flow through utilities like plumbing and strike you while you're inside your home! 

If you can't find shelter during a storm, stay away from tall objects like trees, a car is safer to stay in than a field, just don't touch the metal frame of your car. If you are stranded outside, kneel down as low as you can be, while also limiting the amount of your body touching the ground, don't stand in water. 

A great way to stay alert to storms in your area is by downloading various apps. A free app with lightning detector built into it is the WeatherBug app. It will tell you how far away the closest lightning strike is. You can even change settings to allow the app to alert you when lightning is close by.  

With technology today, lightning strikes should truly be freak accidents! 

Want to watch a cool 3D visualization of how lightning forms? Check out the cool video 

Awesome 3D Weather with Jim Cantore!

It's a new way of explaining weather and it's pretty AWESOME! The Weather Channel has introduced a new 3D visualization to explain how a tornado forms and how lightning forms. Of course this futuristic lesson in science is given by the one and only Jim Cantore! 

Some people have varying opinions on The Weather Channel and their influence on the weather community and science but you have to admit, this is pretty cool! This 3D visualization sure beats the boring photographs printed in textbooks across the country. Could this be the next step in the evolution of science education???

Check out the full videos below

Awesome Weather GIFS

Weather has fascinated people for ages, who isn't attracted to the beauty of a thunderstorm or peacefulness of a snowstorm? Yes these events can be dangerous but they are also nature's moving art, a canvas that is forever changing, giving a brief moment of beauty before the next one is created. 

However, with the creation of photographs, film and the Internet, these moments of natural beauty have been captured and enjoyed over and over again. 

From striking photos to front row seat videos of storms, we can also thank the Internet for capturing such beauty. This time in the form of GIFS. 

What's more beautiful (and dangerous) than the electrifying dance of lightning in a thunderstorm?

There's nothing like a winter wonderland, a landscape glowing in the snow, as peaceful flakes fall from the sky.

Lightning may need to be slowed down to see its electrifying dance but sometimes the beauty of weather is discovered over time. Like this time lapse GIF of a snow squall moving into a city. 

Finally, not all of nature's beauty can be seen from ground level. Sometimes a view from 1,000's of miles above will reveal the beauty below.