May Newsletter

GOVERNMENT
OF interest
LIGHTNING
PREPAREDNESS:
WHEN THUNDER
ROARS,
GO INDOORS
Lightning strikes the ground in our
state more than a half million times
each year and with many of us
participating in outdoor activities, we
need to learn how to protect ourselves
from lightning hazards.
OUTDOOR SAFETY
Outdoors is the most dangerous place
to be during a thunderstorm. Each
year nearly all people in the United
States who are injured or killed by
lightning were involved in an outdoor
activity. Unfortunately, there is no
place outside that is safe from
lightning. The only safe place to be
when lightning is occurring is either
inside a substantial building or an
enclosed automobile.
Here are some important things to
remember before venturing outdoors:
• An informed decision will help you
avoid being in an area where
lightning is expected to occur.
Before heading out get an updated
weather forecast.
• Stay tuned to NOAA Weather
Radio and check National Weather
Service websites or access your
favorite weather apps on your cell
phone for the latest forecast.
• In Colorado it is important to
remember that thunderstorms
typically develop in the mountains
after 11 a.m. That is why it’s best to
plan your climbing or hiking so
you are coming down the
mountain by late morning.
• If thunderstorms are in the forecast,
consider planning an alternate
indoor activity or make plans
which will allow you to quickly get
into a safe shelter.
Once you are outside keep these tips
in mind if you have a safe location
nearby:
• Know where the nearest safe
location is located.
– A safe location is any substantial
building, such as a business, a
home, or a church.
– Any enclosed hard-topped
automobile also offers protection
from lightning.
• Once you hear thunder or see
KNOW THE SOUNDS OF THE LIGHTNING
DEVICES AT MAJOR VILLAGE PARKS
During the summer storm season, Village park users and visitors may be exposed to potential dangers of a lightning storm while being
outside. In efforts to provide a safer environment while attending events at Village Greens Park, Curtis Park, Westlands Park, Silo Park, and
Tommy Davis Park, the Village has installed lightning prediction and warning systems to alert
park users of the potential for lightning before it strikes.
The lightning systems in designated Village parks are prediction systems not detector systems.
These systems measure the shift of the positive and negative ions in the atmosphere and in the
ground that could create an energy flow that may result in a lightning strike once a conductive
cloud to ground path is available. The lightning prediction and warning system senses and
evaluates these shifts and changes in the electrostatic field that precede the occurrence of an
actual lightning strike and activates an audible, as well as, visual warning alerting of the
dangerous conditions.
The systems are set to monitor a 2.5 mile radius from its location. When the conditions are ripe
for lightning at the parks or within the 2.5 mile radius, a continuous audible horn is activated for
a period of 15 seconds alerting users of the potential for lightning and activating yellow strobes
on the roofs of the structures located within the parks. These strobes will stay activated
throughout the period of potential lightning activity and will shut off only after an all clear signal
consisting of three five second audible horn blasts. The systems are operational between the
hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., seven days a week, through the spring and summer months.
For more information, please call Dustin Huff, Parks Manager, at 303-708-6155.
PG. 10 GV NEWSLETTER | MAY 2018