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⚡ Quick Answer: Lightning safety for hikers, anglers, and campers — the 30-30 rule, where to shelter (and where never to), the lightning position, and first aid for strike victims.
Lightning kills about 20 people a year in the US and injures hundreds more — and hikers, anglers, boaters, and golfers are disproportionately represented. The frustrating part: most strikes are avoidable with timing and terrain choices. Here’s how to read a building storm, and exactly what to do when you’re caught out.
The 30-30 Rule
When you see a flash, count until you hear thunder: sound travels a mile every ~5 seconds. 30 seconds or less (6 miles) means the storm can already reach you — seek safer ground now. Then wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before resuming. Lightning routinely strikes miles ahead of the rain; “it’s not raining yet” is how people get hit.
Read the Sky Before It Reads You
- Towering, cauliflower-topped clouds building by late morning = afternoon thunderstorms. In the mountains this is a near-daily summer pattern.
- Plan summits and exposed ridges for before noon; be heading down by early afternoon.
- Sudden wind shifts, temperature drops, and darkening bases mean the storm is close.
- Feel your hair stand up or hear buzzing/crackling from rocks and poles? Charge is building where you stand — move and assume the position below immediately.
Where to Go (Best to Worst)
- Best: a building or a hard-topped vehicle. Nothing outdoors compares.
- Good: dense, uniform forest well below treeline, away from the tallest trunks.
- Bad: open ground, ridgelines, summits, lone trees, cave mouths and rock overhangs (ground current arcs across openings), and anywhere you’re the tallest thing.
- Get off the water immediately — boats and swimmers are the tallest point for hundreds of yards.
Caught in the Open: The Lightning Position
- Spread your group out 50+ feet apart — multiple casualties from one strike is the pattern rescuers dread.
- Ditch metal-framed packs and poles a short distance away.
- Crouch on the balls of your feet, heels together, head down, hands over ears — minimize height AND ground contact. Do not lie flat: ground current is the most common strike mechanism.
- Insulate if possible: crouch on a foam pad or coiled rope.
- Keep moving toward safer terrain between close strikes if you can — the position is a last resort, not a plan.
If Someone Is Struck
Strike victims carry no charge — help immediately. Call for rescue, start CPR if they’re not breathing (lightning stops hearts that CPR often restarts), treat burns and injuries, and watch everyone hit for hours; symptoms can be delayed. This is where a satellite messenger and wilderness first aid earn their keep.
Check forecasts, summit early, and respect the 30-30 rule — that combination avoids nearly every lightning emergency. More storm smarts in our weather reading guide and emergency radio picks.
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Written by Sarah Brooks · Hiking & National Parks
Sarah fell in love with the outdoors on a childhood trip to the Smokies and has logged thousands of trail miles across 30+ national parks since. She is happiest above treeline with a map in hand.
