In order to stay safe while hiking in a thunderstorm you should avoid mountain peaks and big open spaces. Lose as much height as possible and try to find cover. When looking for cover, make sure to also think about rain and rock slides. A forest with low trees makes an ideal thunderstorm shelter.
How close is the thunderstorm
There is a simple way to calculate how far away the lightning is. Count the seconds between the lightning and the thunder. Divide this number by 5 to find out – approximately – how far the lightning is (in miles). If you want to know the result in km divide by 3 instead.
In case you are wondering about the actual formula:
Distance (in km) = (Seconds between lightning and thunder x the speed of sound) / 1000
The speed of sound is not always exactly the same (depends on temperature and dryness), but in normal conditions it would be around 343m/s.
However, I realize that not a lot of people will remember that. Therefore, I recommend dividing the amount of seconds between thunder and lightning by 3 (in km) or 5 (in miles).
Now that we know how far away the lightning is, we can start analyzing the situation.
How dangerous is lightning
Before I start talking about what you should do before and during a thunderstorm, let’s take a look at how dangerous lightning actually is.
Here are some quick facts:
- Around 10% of lightning strikes hit the ground
- Less than 10% of people struck die (most will suffer lasting injuries)
- In the US there are 51 annual lightning strike fatalities on average per year
Except for floods, lightning is the biggest weather related killer in the US. Do not underestimate the danger of lightning.
You can never be completely safe from lightning. But, hikers are more at risk because there might not always be good shelter nearby (buildings or cars are optimal).
Can you keep hiking in a thunderstorm or should you find shelter
Before I will answer this question, I should mention that it comes down to the amount of risk you are willing to take. Keep in mind that I am not a professional on the subject, I’m just an enthusiastic hiker and I want to share my experiences/opinions.
Now, let’s see at when you should find shelter and when you can simply keep hiking.
My personal general rule is: when the lightning is at least 4 miles (6.5 km) away and I know that the storm is not coming towards me, I will keep hiking. 4 miles equals 20 seconds between the thunder and the lightning.
The general guideline is to find shelter when the lightning is less than 6 miles away. However, when I know that the storm is moving away from me, I feel safe enough when the lightning is at least 4 miles away.
In the end, the decision is up to you, but my advice would be to always look for shelter when the lightning is closer than 4 miles away from your current position.
There are other things to consider as well. The amount of wind, rain and the terrain are also very important factors.
When you are walking to a summit, you might want to be extra cautious. It’s far better to wait the storm out in the valleys before climbing to the high points.
When there is a lot of rain and wind, you might want to consider finding some shelter just to avoid being soaked and getting cold.
High ground and open terrains are to be avoided when there is a thunderstorm. If you can, try and hike in the woods rather than in an open field. If you are in the mountains, and there is an option to hike at lower ground, go for it.
When you are climbing a summit or doing a ridge walk, you probably want to be further away from the lightning than 4 miles as well.
Additionally, do not only think about your current situation, try to think ahead. Maybe you are nearby a thick forest when the lightning is still 10 miles away. However, if you would decide to keep on hiking, you would be exposed in an open field (it would be even worse if you had to start climbing). Unless you are 100% the storm is moving away from you, it’s probably a better decision to sit this one out.
What makes a good shelter
So now that we know when we should look for shelter, let’s take a look at what makes a good shelter.
Your best option would be to hide in an enclosed building with plumbing or/and electric outlets. Your second best option would be a vehicle (make sure not to touch anything metal). However, there is a good chance that these optimal shelters will not always be near enough.
If there is no great shelter nearby, try to find the lowest spot in the area. Lightning is more likely to strike at higher altitudes than at lower altitudes.
Try to avoid open fields. If you do find yourself in an open field and there are some isolated trees or structures, stay away from them! Only hide under trees when there are multiple trees close to each other (not isolated). Also, it’s best to hide under the lower trees.
Places like picnic huts might seem like pretty good options as well. However, picnic huts in open fields are one of the worst places to hide from lightning. The hut does not offer any protection and it’s the highest point in that open field, therefore it’s more likely to get hit.
However, if you find a picnic hut in the middle of a dense forest, this would make a great shelter.
Staying dry is nice and all, but minimizing your chances of getting struck is priority number on. Only if there is a very real risk of hypothermia you might want to prioritize staying dry.
A quick recap: try to find shelter, but make sure not to find shelter under the highest thing in the area. The best place to look for shelter is in a low stand of trees.
If you are in a group, try to spread out. You will minimize the risk of multiple people getting hit with one strike. This way, if someone would get hit, the others can still help that person.
What to do when there is no decent shelter nearby
You tried to find the best possible shelter, but there were just no great options in the area, what should you do now?
Try to find the lowest point in the area – however, make sure that you do not stand in water – and stand on your toes. Try to touch the ground with the smallest surface area possible.
Additionally, you should crouch. Remember, higher points are more at risk of getting hit by lightning, therefore you want to stay as low as possible.
Keep in mind that doing all this will does not really protect you from lightning, it simply minimizes the risk of getting struck.
If you want to learn more, I highly suggest to take a look at this infographic:
Camping in a thunderstorm
Camping in a thunderstorm might not be the most fun part of your hiking trip. That said, you should always be prepared for bad weather.
Replacing your tent in the middle of a storm could be very problematic. Unless you know for sure that the weather will be mild during the night, you should prepare for the worst.
So how do we pick a camping spot?
Once again, you are going to want to camp on lower ground. However, make sure that the area will not be flooded with water when the rain picks up. Try to avoid open fields, look for a low stand of trees instead.
You should also avoid places where your tent might be hit by a rock slide. Lightning is not the only danger during a thunderstorm.
If you can find some cover from the wind, go for it. However, make sure that there are no large objects (like isolated trees) nearby and that you are safe from rock slides.
If the lightning storm is right above you, you should do the lightning crouch on your sleeping pad. Remember, the less of your body is in contact with the floor, the better. Therefore, laying down is not optimal.
Your pad might help a little bit because it offers some insulation. However, you should not be under the illusion that you are completely safe when you do the lightning crouch on a sleeping pad. There is nothing that you can do to be completely safe. It’s all about minimizing the risks.
I assume you are not going to be able to sleep through the thunder anyway, so you might as well do the crouch.
What to avoid
Avoid believing everything you read online.
The number one myth I read online was that you should get rid of anything metal because metal attracts lightning. This is a classic myth, metal does not attract lightning.
Some of the highest rated articles on google even suggest that you take off all your clothing with fly zippers during a thunderstorm storm.
Minimizing the risk of getting struck by lightning is worth double checking everything you read online. Remember, ranking high on search engines does not mean that all the content is correct and verified. When your safety is on the line, be suspicious about everything and don’t believe everything you read.
What gear to bring for a thunderstorm
Make sure to bring waterproof gear. The following items are the most important:
- Waterproof jacket
- Waterproof pants
- Waterproof tent
- Waterproof backpack or/and a rain cover
I learned the hard way that there was a limit to how waterproof waterproof gear actually was. If it rains hard enough and long enough, you will get soaked. However, if you have the right gear, this would only happen in extreme conditions.
Waterproof gear often comes with a water column rating, make sure to take a look at those ratings before buying new gear.
Finding a good waterproof jacket can be such a challenge. You should really do a lot of in-depth research before you actually make a sale. The problem is… who has time for that. No need to worry since I decided to do that research for you. If you are looking for the best waterproof hiking jackets, check out this article: The 4 best waterproof hiking jackets. For those of you who are looking for waterproof hiking pants: Best cheap rain pants for hiking.
I was always against bringing an umbrella on a serious hiking trip (unless for desert hikes). The reason for this is that even the best hiking umbrellas eventually break when the wind is extreme enough.
That said, recently I came across an umbrella that changed my opinion: Senz° Original Umbrella.
Don’t believe my word for it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFzOwq5PldQ
Hiking with an umbrella is still not for everyone I assume, but it might definitely come in handy in a storm.
Conclusion
Hiking in a thunderstorm might not be the most pleasant experience while on the trail. Sadly enough, no one can control the weather.
Try to stay up-to-date with the weather forecast as good as you can, but be prepared for surprises.
When you are hiking or you are looking for a nice camping spot, try to lose as much altitude as possible. Low trees are your best friends in this kind of weather.
Obviously, if there is a building/cabin with plumbing or/and electric outlets nearby, that should be your number one choice for shelter. If that’s not an option, finding a vehicle would be your second choice. If there is no building/vehicle nearby, you are going to want to find shelter under some lower trees.
It’s always better to hide in the woods than in an open field.