NOAA National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

The Lightning Desperation Position

SQUAT DOWN! KEEP YOUR FEET TOGETHER! - KEEP OTHER PARTS OF YOUR BODY OFF THE GROUND! - CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COVER YOUR EARS!

If you are caught in the open and lightning is nearby, the safest position to be in is crouched down on the balls of your feet (see Figure 1 below). Keep your hands over your ears and do not allow other parts of your body to touch the ground. Keep your feet as close to one another as possible. Why is it important to crouch down on the balls of your feet? The reason why is that when lightning strikes an object, the electricity of the lightning discharge does not necessarily go straight down into the ground (Figure 2). Quite often the electricity will travel along the surface of the ground for quite a large distance. The electrical current likely varies widely from place to place, even over a small area. This phenomana is know as a "side flash". Many people who are "struck" by lightning are not hit directly by the main lightning channel, but are affected by electrical current of the side flash as it travels along the surface of the ground. By keeping the surface area of your body relative to the ground to a minimum (that is, keep your feet together and do not allow any other part of your body to contact the ground, you can reduce the threat of the electricity traveling across the ground from crossing your body and injuring you.

A more technical description of this phenomana is called ground potential. If a flash occurs nearby and your feet are seperated AND the electrical current is different between your two feet, then the electrical current will try to equalize across your feet. What this mean is the electric current will travel through your body to equalize between your two feet (it will do this by traveling up one leg, across your lower abdomenen, and then down the other leg). The greater your feet are from eachother the greater the ground potential could be (even a few extra inches can make a big difference). If your feet are together, then the ground potential between your two feet will likely be less, and the current will likely not travel as much through your body. This safety measure only helps for a lightning flash that strikes nearby, and not a flash that directly hits you - IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT IF YOU ARE IN THIS POSITION AND THE LIGHTNING STRIKES YOU DIRECTLY, THEN THERE IS A HIGH PROBABILITY THAT YOU WILL BE SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. It is good to know, however, that there has never been a documented case of somebody being injured or killed while in the lightning desperation postion.

Figure 1. The Lightning Desperation Position

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Figure 2. Example of a lightning flash hitting a golf course flag pole and then traveling along the surface of the ground. Phote copyright by E. Philip Krider, University of Arizona. Used with permission.

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