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Thunder & Lightning: Stay Safe...Follow The "30/30" Rule
2014-06-10Please read the following so you know the "30/30" Rule
Cancellations due to unsafe weather conditions, including lightning & thunderstorms.
In the event of unsafe weather conditions the following procedures will be implemented;
1. Unsafe weather conditions occuring prior to the start of training or a game - players will not be permitted to enter the field unless there has been 30 continuous minutes of safe weather conditions.
2. Unsafe weather conditions are imminent and a traininhg session or game has already begun - The field will be cleared immediately. Players and spectators will be permitted to re-enter the field only after 30 minutes of continuous safe weather conditions have been observed.
CITY staff will advise participants to clear the field by sounding an air horn. Players must stay with parents or guardians.
The "30/30 Rule"
When you see lightning, count the time until you hear thunder. If this time is thirty (30) seconds or less, seek proper shelter immediately. Wait a minimum thirty (30) minutes or after hearing the last thunder clap before leaving the shelter.
Additional Information From Environment Canada
Please note the following recommendations from Environment Canada:
The existence of blue sky and absence of rain are not protection from lightning. Lightning can and does strike as far as ten (10) miles away from the rain shaft. It does not have to be raining for lightning to strike. Many lightning casualties occur in the beginning, as the storm approaches, because many people ignore initial precursors of high winds, some rainfall and cloud cover. Generally, the lightning threat diminishes with time after the last sound of thunder, but may persist for more than thirty (30) minutes.
Lightning can strike ahead of the parent cloud – take action even if the thunderstorm is not overhead. Lightning awareness should be increased with the first flash of lightning or the first clap of thunder, no matter how far away.
The most important aspect to monitor is how far away the lightning is occurring, and how fast the storm is approaching, relative to the distance of a safe shelter. Recognize that personal observation of lightning may not be sufficient.
Know where the closest “safe structure or shelter location” is to the field or playing area and know how long it takes to get to that safe structure or location.
Safe structure or shelter location is defined as:
Any building normally occupied or frequently used by people, i.e., a building with plumbing and / or electrical wiring that acts to electrically ground the structure. Avoid using shower facilities for safe shelter and do not use the showers or plumbing facilities during a thunderstorm.
In the absence of a sturdy, frequently inhabited building, any vehicle with a hard metal roof (not a convertible or golf cart) and rolled-up windows can provide a measure of safety. A vehicle is certainly better than remaining outdoors. It is not the rubber tires that make a vehicle a safe shelter, but the hard metal roof which dissipates the lightning strike around the vehicle. Do not touch the sides of any vehicle!
If no safe structure or location is within a reasonable distance, find a thick grove of small trees surrounded by taller trees or a dry ditch. Assume a crouched position on the ground with only the balls of the feet touching the ground, wrap your arms around your knees and lower your head. Minimize contact with the ground because lightning current often enters a victim through the ground rather than by a direct overhead strike. Minimize your body’s surface area and the ground! Do not lie flat! If unable to reach safe shelter, stay away from the tallest trees or objects such as light poles or flag poles), metal objects (such as fences or bleachers), individual trees, standing pools of water, and open fields. Avoid being the highest object in a field. Do not take shelter under a single, tall tree.
Avoid using the telephone, except in emergency situations. People have been struck by lightning while using a land-line telephone. A cellular phone or a portable remote phone
is a safe alternative to land-line phones, if the person and the antenna are located within a safe structure or location, and if all other precautions are followed.
In the event of unsafe weather conditions the following procedures will be implemented;
1. Unsafe weather conditions occuring prior to the start of training or a game - players will not be permitted to enter the field unless there has been 30 continuous minutes of safe weather conditions.
2. Unsafe weather conditions are imminent and a traininhg session or game has already begun - The field will be cleared immediately. Players and spectators will be permitted to re-enter the field only after 30 minutes of continuous safe weather conditions have been observed.
CITY staff will advise participants to clear the field by sounding an air horn. Players must stay with parents or guardians.
The "30/30 Rule"
When you see lightning, count the time until you hear thunder. If this time is thirty (30) seconds or less, seek proper shelter immediately. Wait a minimum thirty (30) minutes or after hearing the last thunder clap before leaving the shelter.
Additional Information From Environment Canada
Please note the following recommendations from Environment Canada:
The existence of blue sky and absence of rain are not protection from lightning. Lightning can and does strike as far as ten (10) miles away from the rain shaft. It does not have to be raining for lightning to strike. Many lightning casualties occur in the beginning, as the storm approaches, because many people ignore initial precursors of high winds, some rainfall and cloud cover. Generally, the lightning threat diminishes with time after the last sound of thunder, but may persist for more than thirty (30) minutes.
Lightning can strike ahead of the parent cloud – take action even if the thunderstorm is not overhead. Lightning awareness should be increased with the first flash of lightning or the first clap of thunder, no matter how far away.
The most important aspect to monitor is how far away the lightning is occurring, and how fast the storm is approaching, relative to the distance of a safe shelter. Recognize that personal observation of lightning may not be sufficient.
Know where the closest “safe structure or shelter location” is to the field or playing area and know how long it takes to get to that safe structure or location.
Safe structure or shelter location is defined as:
Any building normally occupied or frequently used by people, i.e., a building with plumbing and / or electrical wiring that acts to electrically ground the structure. Avoid using shower facilities for safe shelter and do not use the showers or plumbing facilities during a thunderstorm.
In the absence of a sturdy, frequently inhabited building, any vehicle with a hard metal roof (not a convertible or golf cart) and rolled-up windows can provide a measure of safety. A vehicle is certainly better than remaining outdoors. It is not the rubber tires that make a vehicle a safe shelter, but the hard metal roof which dissipates the lightning strike around the vehicle. Do not touch the sides of any vehicle!
If no safe structure or location is within a reasonable distance, find a thick grove of small trees surrounded by taller trees or a dry ditch. Assume a crouched position on the ground with only the balls of the feet touching the ground, wrap your arms around your knees and lower your head. Minimize contact with the ground because lightning current often enters a victim through the ground rather than by a direct overhead strike. Minimize your body’s surface area and the ground! Do not lie flat! If unable to reach safe shelter, stay away from the tallest trees or objects such as light poles or flag poles), metal objects (such as fences or bleachers), individual trees, standing pools of water, and open fields. Avoid being the highest object in a field. Do not take shelter under a single, tall tree.
Avoid using the telephone, except in emergency situations. People have been struck by lightning while using a land-line telephone. A cellular phone or a portable remote phone
is a safe alternative to land-line phones, if the person and the antenna are located within a safe structure or location, and if all other precautions are followed.