Hear thunder? Then lightning is already close enough to strike you. Right where you're standing. The move is simple: get inside a substantial building, or a hard-topped car with the windows up. Not under a tree. Not in your tent. Not in the dugout or the picnic pavilion. And the part almost everyone gets wrong happens after the storm seems to be over. Step 1. The moment you hear thunder, go. Don't wait for rain, and don't finish the inning.

A real building with walls and a roof, or a hard-topped, metal-roofed vehicle, windows up. Step 2. On the way, don't stop under a tree, a pavilion, a dugout, or in your tent. Step 3. Get off the water, the hilltop and the ridge, fast. Put down the golf clubs, fishing poles and umbrellas. Get off the bike, the horse, the ATV. Step 4, only if there's truly no shelter: avoid open fields and tall, isolated trees.

Stay clear of water, wire fences and poles. In a group, spread out. These only slightly lower the risk. Step 5. Wait at least 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder before you head back out. Myth: if you're caught outside, crouch down low and you won't get hit. Truth: the National Weather Service says crouching doesn't make you any safer. Lying flat is worse. The Forest Service does suggest a low crouch in open fields.

Both agree the real answer is shelter. Ground current spreads out from a strike. It's been measured arcing at least 20 meters sideways. Lightning goes for height, a pointy shape and isolation. On a ridge, that can be you. Your phone, your watch, your jewelry? No difference. The metal on you doesn't decide where it hits. Standing under a tree is the second leading cause of lightning casualties. Better to get wet.

It often strikes more than 3 miles from the storm's center. Bolts from the blue: 10 to 15 miles. And people get struck near the end of a storm, too. The rain stops. The danger doesn't. On a boat? Head for land. Once you're ashore, get at least 100 yards from the water. Hiking group, nowhere to go? Spread out at least 15 feet apart, off the peaks and ridges. Game almost over? No game is worth death or life-long injuries.

Get to real shelter. Someone gets struck? It's safe to touch them. The human body doesn't store electricity. Call for help right away, give CPR if needed, and stay with them until help arrives. Only about 10% of people struck are killed. The other 90% live with some degree of disability. So: thunder means go. Building or hard-topped car. Skip the tree, skip the tent, then wait 30 minutes. Thunder is your warning.

It's free. Take it.