According to the National Weather Service, lightning can strike as far as fifteen miles away from a storm. Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Kempf adds that it’s a common mistake for people to continue outdoor activity because a storm appears to be too far away to be a threat and is not raining on them. “That’s why, as the saying goes, if you hear thunder, you need to go inside. That can be pulled from a long ways away, ahead of or behind a storm.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says there are a few ways to tell if a thunderstorm is approaching, before you even see it. They include unexplained static on an AM radio station, a smell of rain and a sudden drop in temperature along with noticing maple and poplar tree leaves flipping over so you can see their underside.