Lightning: hot, fast and dangerous

  • Published
  • By Joe B. Wiles
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Lightning is basically a discharge of static electricity. But unlike the shock your wool sweater can produce, lightning can generate 300 kilovolts, travel at 60,000 miles per second and reach temperatures of 54,000 F, according to NASA's Web site. 

Fortunately for Team Vance, the folks at the 71st Operations Support Squadron's Weather Flight keep a close watch on lightning in the area. 

Using the Vaisala Lightning Detection System, the weather specialists keep track of lightning and issue warnings when the strikes are within 25, 10 and five miles of the base. 

"Different agencies use the lightning information for a variety of reasons," said Capt. Paul Koecher, the weather flight commander. 

"For example, the base pool needs to know when lightning is within 25 miles so they can clear out the swimmers," he said. A storm doesn't have to be overhead for lightning danger to exist, said Captain Koecher. Lightning can reach as far as 20 miles beyond the edge of the clouds. 

The Vance command post issues lightning pop-ups on the base-wide computer network and makes telephone alerts to several agencies when lightning is within 25 and 10 miles, according to Tech. Sgt. Antonio Smith in the command post. 

When lightning is spotted within five miles, the Giant Voice system is added to the pop-ups and telephone alerts, said Sergeant Smith. 

The Giant Voice is added to insure people outdoors on base can hear the warning. "The odds of getting struck by lightning are very low," said Captain Koecher. "Even so, many professional storm chasers fear lightning more than tornadoes due to its unpredictable nature." 

And lightning does strike at Vance. In the early morning hours of April 29, a bolt hit the ground between the T-1 Maintenance Hangar 199 and the radar approach control in Bldg. 795. 

According to Dennis Burnett, the Computer Sciences Corporation Civil Engineer shop supervisor, the strike did more than $8,000 in damage, primarily to Hangar 199.
According to the National Weather Service, over the last 30 years the United States has averaged 62 reported lightning fatalities per year. Only about 10 percent of people who are struck by lightning are killed. 

If you can't get indoors, a vehicle is the next safest place to be during a lightning threat. "Being in a car during a lightning strike is survivable, but not because of the rubber tires," said Captain Koecher. "The lightning will follow the outer metal body of the car into the ground." 

Vance's weather radar is located 25 miles overland from Vance at Kegelman Field so weather activity over Vance is visible. "If we had the radar here there would be a cone of silence overhead," said Captain Koecher. No data is received directly above the radar due to the angle of the radar scans. 

The weather flight is manned during flying operations or when severe weather is expected. Their day starts at 3 a.m. so they can gather weather information for the sorties planned that day. 

"When we're not here, the 26th Operational Weather Squadron at Barksdale AFB, La., puts out the lightning warnings for us," Captain Koecher said.