Spring is officially here and Severe Weather Awareness Week begins on Monday, and a representative from Dallas County Emergency shares some tips about a common weather element. 

According to Ready Iowa, there is a theme for each day next week that coincides with severe weather. Monday focuses on lightning safety and Dallas County Emergency Management Director AJ Seely informs people that although the appeal of lightning is astonishing to look at, it needs to be done at a safe distance. He provides some statistics on lightning striking the earth.

“Every second, the earth is struck by lightning about 100 times across all of the earth. Obviously, we’re not seeing all of that here locally but when it does, there is a threat to safety. We want to make sure that if we hear thunder or see lightning, we go indoors.”

Seely emphasizes that lightning is capable of striking 10 miles away from a storm. If a person is outdoors, he suggests avoiding tall objects or open fields and to find the nearest structure with some sort of roof covering.