Stay safe from summer weather hazards

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  • By 341st Missile Wing safety
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Summer brings some unique weather hazards in many parts of the world. Lightning, tornadoes, typhoons and hurricanes are the ones that can be extremely dangerous.

According to the National Weather Service, there are approximately 16 million storms a year, and in the United States, there are an estimated 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning flashes each year. The average number of fatalities in the U.S. is 61; however, due to under reporting, it is estimated that about 100 to 120 deaths per year occur because of lightning. Documented lightning injuries in the United States average 300 per year, but undocumented lightning injuries are likely much higher.

For more information on summer weather safety, visit the following links:
According to the University of California at San Francisco's School of Medicine, "Sunblock protects skin by absorbing and/or reflecting UVA and UVB radiation. All sunblocks have a Sun Protection Factor rating. The SPF rating indicates how long a sunscreen remains effective on the skin. A user can determine how long their sunblock will be effective by multiplying the SPF factor by the length of time it takes for him or her to suffer a burn without sunscreen."

The American Association of Dermatology recommends that a broad spectrum sunblock with an SPF of at least 15 be applied daily to all sun exposed areas and reapplied every two hours. Some recent clinical trials show sunblock with SPF 30 provided significantly better protection than sunblock with SPF 15.

For more information on sunburn prevention, visit the following links: