Listen to the weatherman

This summer has been hot!  No doubt about it.  With the heat we have definitely had some rough thunderstorms.  Each time the weather comes on the news and it is one of those days where storms are popping up everywhere; the weatherman always say to seek shelter when one of these storms arrive, but not under a tree.

A tree will provide some protection from the rain and keep us some what dry; right?  So why should we listen to the weatherman?  Here is why.

For almost a week, we had some sever thunderstorms each day.  Last Tuesday we were all in the living room during one of these storms when we heard a streak of lightning.  It was clear it hit something close by, but we were not sure what it had hit.  The next day we found out what it hit.

The tree has multiple split all the way up and down the trunk.  Bark was blown off a good twenty feet.  The big crack you see here is large enough for me to slide my hand into it.  If someone would have been near this tree at that moment, it would not have been good.

According to the National Weather Service, there has already been 16 lightning fatalities in 2010.  North Carolina is tied with Wyoming for the second largest number of lightning fatalities so far in 2010 with two.  Georgia is number one with three.

So when a storm is approaching, listen to the weatherman; seek shelter inside and definitely not under a tree.