The Weather Network`s Lightning Alerts

When
Lightning
Strikes!
Robin Draper
Robin is a Product Development Analyst with The
Weather Network, which is committed to delivering
weather information to consumers 24 hours a day,
365 days a year, across all media platforms. Robin
can be reached by email at [email protected]
or at www.theweathernetwork.com.
The Weather Network’s
Lightning Alerts
photo: ©The Weather Network
A
ccording to Environment Canada,
each year in Canada, lightning
kills up to 10 people and seriously
injures up to 164 others. Golf
courses are especially at risk, given
the equipment being used and
the outdoor surroundings. Trees,
bodies of water, golf carts, golf
clubs and umbrellas all attract
lightning.
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Golf Business Canada
LIGHTNING ALERTS
So how do your customers know if
they are at risk of being struck by
lightning at the golf course? The
Weather Network can tell your
golfers with their newly created
Lightning Alerts. Available on The
Weather Network’s mobile apps,
website, and TV channel, the
Lightning Alerts are sent out within
seconds of lightning being detected
in your location or a location of
your choosing.
Your golfers will have a
Lightning Alert sent directly to their
phone, which indicates they are at
risk of being struck by lightning and
should take shelter immediately.
Given the individual safety risks and
the potential liability for golf courses,
it is important that course owners
and operators do as much as they
can to warn golfers and staff and to
minimize the possibility of any
unfortunate events from happening.
“We created the Lightning Alerts
because free, consumer-focused
Lightning Alerts on their own did
not exist,” says David Dumper,
Senior Manager of Content at The
Weather Network. “Lightning usually gets mentioned in severe
thunderstorm watches and warnings, but it can also occur in non-severe
thunderstorms as well. Our Lightning Alerts fill this gap by notifying
you whenever lightning is occurring and also when lightning has moved
out of your area.”
The alerts provide the time of the first strike, the time of the most
recent strike, and the total number of strikes since the storm began. A
map shows the location of where the strikes are occurring. Once 30
minutes have passed since the last strike was detected, the golfer will
receive a Lightning Ended Alert which means that lightning has moved
Golf Business Canada
17
photo: ©The Weather Network
out of the area and it is safe to
resume your activities.
Lightning Alerts are a natural
fit for The Weather Network which
has its own lightning detection
network. The network consists of
40 lightning sensors installed
across Canada to detect lightning
across the country and its
surrounding waters. An additional
39 sensors provided by partners
extends the coverage towards the
northern United States but the
network can detect lightning as far
south as Central America.
“With our own state-of-the-art,
real-time
lightning
detection
network, it made complete sense
for us to create Lightning Alerts
that span all of Canada in the
interest of public safety,” says
Dumper.
SAFETY TIPS
The danger that lightning poses to
golfers and course staff was
evident earlier this summer at a
golf course in the Toronto area.
Four golfers were taken to hospital,
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Golf Business Canada
“Using proprietary
technology, the
company is able
to distribute both
locally and nationally
Environment
Canada watches and
warnings, NAADS
Public Safety Alerts,
and now their new
Lightning Alerts.”
three in stable condition and one
in critical condition, after being
struck by lightning. Witnesses
say course operators had
sounded a siren to clear the
course and that the strike
occurred as the golfers were
taking their clubs to the
clubhouse. The Weather Network
had a Lightning Alert in effect at
the time of the strike.
The incident at the golf course
was extremely unfortunate and
while The Weather Network’s
Lightning Alerts may not prevent
someone from being struck by
lightning, they may catch
people’s attention and influence
them to take precautions sooner.
The company’s wide-reaching
lightning detection network may
also provide course operators an
earlier indication of lightning strikes
compared to other lightning detection
methods being used at the course.
“Being explicitly alerted that
lightning is happening in your
location or nearby is a valuable piece
of information to protect your
safety,” says Dumper. “Many people
might not even know when lightning
is occurring and wouldn’t know to
take precautions which is why The
Weather Network’s Lightning Alerts
are so important.”
Alerting Canadians of dangerous
weather is something The Weather
Network has done for years and
continues to do extremely well.
Using proprietary technology, the
company is able to distribute both
locally and nationally Environment
Canada watches and warnings,
NAADS Public Safety Alerts, and
now their new Lightning Alerts.
Shaylea Ostapowich, Manager
Meteorological Networks at The
Weather Network, says that when it
comes to lightning safety there’s one
key thing to remember. “When
thunder roars, go indoors. It’s really
that simple. I think lightning is a
little underrated. When lightning
happens people tend to stay outside
and watch it when really they should
be taking shelter, because if you can
hear thunder you are within striking
distance.”
Ostapowich also has some
helpful tips that golf course owners
and operators can pass along to their
golfers: “If you are out on the course
photo: ©The Weather Network
during lightning, it’s best to keep
moving towards safety and not
stay where you are. In doing so,
you should avoid tents, small
shelters, hill tops, trees, water, wet
items and metal objects. Also
remove any headsets or ear pieces
that you might be wearing. If you
feel your hair stand on end you
should crouch down on the balls of
your feet.”
“If you’re inside the clubhouse
or another shelter, avoid using
plumbing, do not use corded
phones, do not touch electrical
equipment or cords, stay away
from windows and doors, stay off
porches and do not lie on concrete
floors or lean against concrete walls.”
LIGHTNING STORM
PROCEDURES
What can golf course operators do
to help ensure the safety of their
staff and golfers?
Benjamin
Watson, Manager GolfMax Inc.,
explains the procedures that are
normally taken at golf courses
during lightning storms:
The course staff will monitor the
weather conditions. When they
determine there is sufficient danger
of lightning they will suspend play,
usually communicating this by
“The network
consists of 40
lightning sensors
installed across
Canada to detect
lightning across
the country and
its surrounding
waters.”
blowing an air horn and further
having staff individually inform and
shepherd-in players. Golfers will
need to make it to the closest shelter
or, preferably, the clubhouse, to wait
out the storm. The air horn is blown
again to signal the return of play.
While golfers themselves can
be well prepared for light-tomedium rain, for lightning there is
obviously not a lot that can be done
to protect someone swinging a
metal rod above their head in the
middle of a field. Still, especially
for
sudden
storms,
golfers
sometimes try to wait out the
storm, figuring that by the time
they make it to the clubhouse the
storm will have passed and play
will be resumed anyways.
Combined with golfer uncertainty
about what the air horn might
actually mean, it is not uncommon
for some players to resist or delay
coming in. A well communicated
policy and warning to golfers
before they go out on the course
can do a lot to reduce the numbers
of stragglers.
Golf Business Canada
19
Facts on
Lightning
• Lightning is static electricity
gone giant-scale. Lightning
comes from thunderstorms
(and snowstorms). There are
some 2000 thunderstorms
globally at any one time
producing some 100
lightning strikes to earth
per second.
• Your risk of being killed by
lightning is 1:28,500 per
exposed individual.
• Lightning’s heat exceeds
27,760 degrees C. or three
times hotter than the
surface of the sun. Its’ speed
is 145,000 kms per second.
• Thunder is always
associated with lightning.
Thunder is the shock wave
created by super-heated air
in the lightning channel.
• Nine out of ten people
struck by lightning survive
the event. But nearly 25% of
these survivors suffer long
term psychological or
physiological trauma. The
best defense against
lightning is preparedness.
Stats provided by: National
Lightning Safety Institute
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Golf Business Canada
photo: ©The Weather Network
If a heavy rain or lightning
storm persists for a sufficient time,
the course might issue a rain
check, often given on the basis of
how many holes or nines were left
to play. Advanced warning of rain
check policy limits or exceptions
can
prevent
confusion
and
frustration of golfers, many of
whom may be soaking wet and
already on edge.
Courses
sometimes
have
strategically
placed
lightning
shelters in spots particularly far
from the clubhouse. Alternatively,
shelters that were not designed to
protect from lightning should be
marked as unsafe for such
protection.
The staff should be aware of
the distances between various
holes and shelters, and the speed of
the players considering use of carts
or walking, to adequately judge
how much warning is needed. Staff
out on the course should know
when and where to direct golfers,
as well as when they need to take
shelter.
If someone is struck by lightning,
dial 911 immediately. The injured
person has received an electrical
shock and may be burned or have
other injuries. People who have
been struck by lightning do not
retain an electrical charge and can
be handled safely. Give first aid. If
the heart has stopped beating, a
trained person should give CPR.
“Combined with
golfer uncertainty
about what the
air horn might
actually mean, it
is not uncommon
for some players
to resist or delay
coming in. “
STAY UP TO DATE
To protect your golf course from
liability and keep your golfers safe,
it is important to stay up to date on
new lightning technology and
safety procedures for your course.
For more information about
The Weather Network’s Lightning
Alerts visit their website at
www.theweathernetwork.com.
Encourage golfers to enable
notifications from The Weather
Network on their mobile device to
start receiving lightning alerts.
Golfers and course staff can also go
to the weather forecast page for
your location on The Weather
Network’s website. If a lightning
alert is in effect it will appear on the
page. Course staff can also monitor
the local forecast every ten minutes
on the :10s on The Weather
Network’s television channel.
Golf
Business
Canada