AUGUSTA, Ga. - In the fourth part of our series covering Severe Weather Awareness Week in Georgia, we focus on lightning safety.

Year after year, lightning kills more people in this country than hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, and winds combined. Only flooding ranks higher as the number one weather killer. According to the National Lightning Safety Institute (NLSI), Georgia ranks number 9 in terms of number of people killed by lightning. South Carolina ranks 13.

The National Weather Service does not issue warnings for lightning, but lightning occurs in every thunderstorm. Even thunderstorms that produce prolific amounts of lightning are not classified as severe unless they make wind gusts to 58mph and/or at least 1 inch hail.

New research from Walker Ashley and Christopher Gilson of Northern Illinois University suggests that almost 85% of all lightning deaths occur from unorganized thunderstorms - not super cells, not tornadic storms, not big squall lines or convective clusters, but simply "run-of-the-mill" thunderstorms. This means that it is incumbent on each person to observe sound lightning safety, because the only warning from most storms will be the lightning, thunder, or perhaps even just the dark cloud.

Lightning results when positive and negative charges in the cloud separate due to vertical motion of small ice pellets. Up to 50% of lightning in any storm can remain in the cloud or between clouds. But any storm can also produce cloud-to-ground lightning. And since we have little ability to predict when and where lightning will strike, the best way to stay safe is to get inside at the first sign of a storm.

FLASH TO BANG METHOD
Lightning heats the air so fast and so much (to nearly 35,000 to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit), the air explodes. This makes the sound we call thunder. If you hear thunder, you should already be inside a building or shelter. To estimate the distance between you and where the lightning struck:
See the lightning, count the number of seconds until you hear thunder, then divide by 5. The result is the distance to the strike in miles.

10 MILE RULE
Lightning can strike up to 10 miles outside the cloud, so don't assume you are safe just because it isn't raining. If you see lightning or hear thunder, you should already be inside.

GET INSIDE BEFORE THE RAIN STARTS
When you see lightning or hear thunder, a sturdy building is the safest place. Avoid sheds, tents, and open picnic shelters. Once inside, do not touch anything metal that is connected to the wall, especially pipes. Stay off corded phones. Do not take a shower or bath. Do not use electrical appliances. Stay away from windows.

IF YOU CAN'T GET INSIDE A BUILDING
Get inside a sturdy, hard-top, vehicle - not a convertible. Avoid tractors, golf carts, motorcycles, and bicycles. Do not touch metal.

IF YOU CAN'T GET INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE
Find a flat area, but not a ditch. Stay away from isolated trees or other tall objects. Stay away from poles, power lines, metal fences, and pipes. Stay away from other people. Put feet together, crouch down, cover your head.

IF YOU ARE OUT ON A BOAT
Get to shore and find shelter as fast as possible.

30-30 RULE
Don't go back outside for 30 minutes after the last thunder. Ideally, you want to be inside 30 minutes before the first thunder as well.

For more information on lightning safety, click here.