Lightning is a form of electrical discharge between clouds or between clouds and the ground. Thunder is the sound waves produced by the explosive heating of the air and the lightning channel during the return. Lightning is the most dangerous and frequently encountered weather hazard people experience each year and the number one cause of storm-related deaths. Around the earth, there are 100 lightning strikes per second or 8,640,000 strikes per day. Did you know that 85% of lightning victims are children and young adults between ages 10-35, engaged in outdoor recreation and work activities outside? The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates there are 200 deaths and 750 severe injuries from lightning each year in the US. 20% of all lightning victims die from the strike. 70% of survivors will suffer serious long-term affects.

Lightning can strike at any time. This is especially true in the backcountry (aka geocaching country), where the weather can change in the blink of an eye. Be prepared to take steps to protect yourself. The first step is to be aware of the weather forecast before any geocaching excursion. While out geocaching, monitor the sky for changing weather conditions. Puffy white cumulus clouds, especially tall ones, are a potential danger sign. An anvil-shaped cumulonimbus cloud is a sure sign of danger. At the first sound of thunder, or earlier if you see danger approaching, get down from any exposed area such as a ridge or peak. Leave any clearing in which you may happen to find yourself. You don't want to be the tallest thing around. Count seconds from a lightning flash to the resulting thunder: five seconds means one mile. If it's this close, you should already have found shelter. All outdoor activities should be stopped and safety should be sought when the lightning is within six miles. Wait a minimum of 30 minutes for this storm to pass.

What do you do when lightning is near?
Lightning can never be prevented, but you can reduce your chances of being struck by:

• Avoiding high ground, water, solitary trees, open spaces, metallic objects. Search for low ground, ditches, or trenches. If they contain water, or if the ground is saturated, find clumps of shrubbery or trees, all of uniform height.
• If you are in a fully enclosed metal automobile, seek refuge with all the windows rolled up and your hands in your lap.
• If a person is caught outside during a thunderstorm and far away from a safer place, they need to use the lightning crouch - put your feet together, squat down, tuck your head, and cover your ears, touch as little surface of the ground as possible. This can be accomplished by crouching on a sleeping pad, coil of rope, or backpack with the frame down. If lightning is imminent, it will often give a few seconds of warning: hair standing up, tingling skin, light metal objects vibrating, seeing corona discharge, and/or hearing a crackling or "kee-kee" sound. If you are in a group, spread out so there are several body lengths between each person (15-20 feet minimum). Hopefully, lightning will not choose a person as a conductor because they are not contacting the ground well. Another advantage of this method is that, in the unfortunate case where a person is still struck, the lightning strike passes through the body of the person to the ground and misses the major organs of the body (mainly the brain and the heart). This increases their chance of survival.

How to Treat and Manage Lightning Injuries
Should lightning strike a person in your party, take these steps. You might be able to save a life.

• Check airway, breathing and circulation. Treat accordingly with rescue breathing and/or CPR. Rescue breathing and CPR have some of the highest success rates with lightning victims. Be persistent.
• Perform an examination of the patient’s body, paying particular attention to blunt traumas from the lightning's shock wave.
• Look for and treat burns.
• Evacuate any victim who has gone unconscious, even if he or she appears to have recovered completely.

To read more, please use the following links :
Decision Tree for Personal Lightning Safety
National Severe Storms Laboratory
GenePool.com (who advises Don't go out! It will be very difficult for lightning to find you if you live in your basement.