According to NOAA, twelve people have already lost their lives this year from lightning. None so far in Nevada, with all of the fatalities occurring from Texas eastward. All of the fatalities occurred outside and most of them were male. Only two were female. Thunder and lightning is possible in northern Nevada on both Friday and Saturday. The outdoor forecast is better on Sunday, but there is still a slight storm chance. The storms will be more numerous on Friday and Saturday.
Lightning mainly occurs within the cloud itself, but can reach the ground as well. It forms from a charge of particles within the cloud compared to the ground. There are a variety of different types of particles within a cloud. You have rain drops, hail, and snow. Each of these particles are bumping into each other and moving, creating a charge. The positive charged particles migrate to the top of the cloud and the negative charged particles travel to the base of the cloud. At the same time, positive charges are collecting on the ground. Stepped leaders and streamers connect to form a lightning strike. A stepped leader travels from the base of the cloud to ground, while a streamer moves upward along a tall object. Lightning can strike ten to twelve miles from a storm.
When thunder roars it's best to head indoors. Standing under a tree is not safe, and is the second highest cause of death from lightning. A hard topped car or building is better. Lighting looks for the tallest object that is by itself. While metal is a good conductor of electricity, lightning is not attracted to it. Holding an umbrella above your head is unsafe when there is lightning because it makes you taller, not because metal is more likely to get struck. It is also a myth that crouching down will protect you during a lightning storm. Lightning is approximately five times hotter than the surface of the sun.
