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Lightning: Lightning in the Barren River Area
Thunderstorms occur frequently throughout the Barren River Area. The
region experiences an average of 49 thunderstorm days1 per
year. While the number and distribution of thunderstorms varies from
year to year, the threat of thunderstorms is, for all practical
purposes, uniform throughout the region. Recorded instances of
thunderstorms and lightning strikes, however, do show some distinct
patterns in the threat they produce.
Figure 9-1. Average thunderstorm days per month in the Barren River Area (a); percent of lightning fatalities by month in Kentucky (b).
Thunderstorms can occur at any time during the day but are most
frequent during the afternoon and early evening hours. Most air mass
thunderstorms occur during this period of the day. While
thunderstorms associated with frontal systems are not restricted to
the afternoon and evening hours, the intensity of these storms is
often greater during this period. The afternoon and early evening
hours also pose the greatest threat from lightning because this is the
time of day when people are most likely participating in outdoor
activities. Figure 9-2 shows the concentration of lightning fatalities
during the afternoon hours across Kentucky.
Figure 9-2. Percent of lightning fatalities by time of day in Kentucky, 1959-1992.
People are at greatest risk if caught outdoors during a thunderstorm.
This situation usually occurs when people misjudge the threat of an
approaching storm and fail to find shelter before it hits. The most
common locations for casualties are (1) in open fields, ballparks,
playgrounds, etc., (2) under trees, (3) water-related locations where
people are engaged in fishing, boating, swimming, or other activities,
(4) on a golf course, and (5) on heavy equipment and farm machinery
(Curran et al., 1997).
Reports of lightning strike casualties and damage in the Barren River
Area were identified in the National Climatic Data Center publication Storm
Data from 1966 through 1998. Eight fatalities were documented,
including four in Monroe County on September 6, 1971. Twelve injuries
were reported from five lightning strikes (Figure 9-3).
Figure 9-3. Lightning strike casualties in the Barren River Area, 1966 - 1998
Other lightning accounts in Storm Data documented the loss of
livestock and structural damage to buildings and other objects. Five
reports documented losses of livestock. Thirty-five cattle were
destroyed in Edmonson and Barren counties in June of 1969, and 22
calves were lost when lightning started a barn fire in Hart County
during 1990. The most common accounts are related to lightning
striking houses and barns, with more than 30 accounts reported.
Still, the frequency and localized nature of damage from lightning
strikes suggest that documented damage accounts, and perhaps
casualties, are understated in these statistics.
1 This number is derived as a simple average
of the mean number of thunderstorm days per year recorded in
Louisville, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee.
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