It is lightning safety week and while Environment Canada meteorologist Terri Lang acknowledges that a lot of Saskatchewan residents like a good lightning storm, she says lightning kills and injures more Canadians in Canada than tornadoes do.

She says if you can hear thunder and you can see lightning, you are in danger of being struck by lightning. “We want people to be going into their vehicles or going into an enclosed building for safety as the storm goes along and then wait 30 minutes until after the last rumble of thunder until going back outside,” she explained.

On their website Environment and Climate Change Canada says once indoors, stay away from electrical appliances and equipment, doors, windows, fireplaces, and anything else that will conduct electricity, such as sinks, tubs and showers. Avoid using a telephone that is connected to a landline or touching devices that are plugged in for charging. You can find more tips on lightning safety here.

Lang says 30 per cent of death and injuries associated with lightning occur before the storm happens and 30 per cent occur after the storm ends. She stresses that means people aren’t seeking shelter soon enough and they’re coming out too soon after the storm is over.