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:

• Employ the "30/30 rule": cease outdoor activity when lightning is within six miles (30-second flash-to-thunder delay) and wait 30 minutes after the last strike before resuming.
• Estimate lightning distance by dividing the seconds between a flash and its thunder by five; additionally, avoid ground operations and never fuel an aircraft if lightning is within three to five miles.
• For aviation, stay VFR, avoid cumulonimbus clouds and embedded lightning, and utilize all available weather data to track and avoid lightning from a safe distance.

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