Severe Weather Awareness Week: Thunderstorms, Lightning, Hail Remain Top Hazards in Northern Plains

(KNSI) – They’re the most common weather hazard in the northern plains, and while most are over in about 30 minutes, thunderstorms can pack a serious punch.

Tuesday marks day two of Severe Weather Awareness Week, with the focus turning to severe storms, lightning, and hail. Twin Cities National Weather Service Meteorologist Ryan Dunleavy told KNSI News most people picture thunderstorms as those familiar summertime popups that build in the afternoon and fizzle out quickly. A typical thunderstorm stretches only about 15 miles across. But some grow far more dangerous, producing golf ball-sized hail, winds topping 100 miles per hour, and in some cases, tornadoes. Many communities will sound outdoor sirens for damaging straight-line winds, which can rival tornadoes in destructive force.

Even when a storm doesn’t reach severe status, Dunleavy says the biggest killer is already built into every single one of them. “I would honestly say it would be lightning is the most dangerous hazard of just a routine thunderstorm. Yes, some of them can produce hail, but there’s a greater risk with lightning and on a national basis, about 20 people are killed each year due to lightning strikes.”

Dunleavy says anyone on a soccer field, at a park, or out on a lake should head for shelter the moment they hear thunder. “That’s why we always stress if you do hear thunder or if you hear it roar, you go indoors, and then wait until the storm has passed before you go back outside.”

He says lightning can strike up to 10 miles from the storm itself, meaning blue sky overhead doesn’t guarantee safety. What many people dismiss as “heat lightning” on a summer evening is actually lightning from a distant storm that could be moving closer.

The NWS also wants people to know that lightning strike victims do not carry an electrical charge and should be attended to immediately.
Hail is another costly product of thunderstorms, causing nearly $1 billion in damage across the country each year. While pea-sized hail is the most common, stones can grow as large as golf balls or even grapefruit in extreme cases. Large hailstones fall at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour and have been known to kill people.

Severe Weather Awareness Week continues through Friday.

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