Lightning

Most measurements put lightning in the range of 5000 to 20,000 amps, but 1971s strike to the Apollo 15 launch vehicle was measured at 100,000 amperes.

Key Takeaways:

• Lightning can reach extreme intensities, such as the Apollo 15 strike at 100,000 amps, and its distance can be approximated by dividing the time between a flash and its thunder by five.
• Employ the 30/30 rule for outdoor safety: halt activities if lightning is within six miles (a 30-second flash-to-thunder gap) and resume 30 minutes after the last strike within that range.
• In flight, pilots should remain VFR to avoid cumulonimbus clouds and embedded lightning, actively gathering all available weather data to steer clear of storm cells.
• On the ground, exercise extreme caution by avoiding ground operations if lightning is within three to five miles, and absolutely do not fuel an aircraft if lightning is within three miles.

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