Lightning : What you need to know to stay safe

Here's what you need to know if you're stuck outside during a severe thunderstorm. 

According to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, you cannot be safe outside during a thunderstorm.

But if you are caught outside without safe shelter nearby, the organization offers these tips to reduce risk.

1.  Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks.

2.  Never lie flat on the ground.

3.  Never use a tree for shelter.

4.  Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter.

5.  Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water.

6.  Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills)

7.  Under no circumstances should ANY of the above actions be taken if a building or an all-metal vehicle is nearby.