Information with links.........

Quote from,
http://www.pueblowestmetro.com/images/thunderstormtips.pdf (PDF File)
• Go to a safe shelter immediately! Such as inside a sturdy building. A hard top automobile with the windows up can also offer fair protection. • If you are boating or swimming, get out of the water immediately and move to a safe shelter away from the water! • If you are in a wooded area, seek shelter under a thick growth of relatively small trees. • If you feel your hair standing on end, squat with your head between your knees. Do not lie flat! • Avoid: isolated trees or other tall objects, bodies of water, sheds, fences, convertible automobiles, tractors, and motorcycles.

Quote (a) from the BBC,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5149460.stm
If caught outside in a thunderstorm, find a low spot away from trees, fences, and poles. If your skin tingles and hair stands on end, lightning is about to strike. Crouch down, balancing on the balls of your feet, placing hands on knees with head between them. This makes you into the smallest target possible, and minimises contact with the ground.

Quote ( from the BBC,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/weather/thunderstorms.shtml
If you are outside in a thunderstorm then you should be very careful. Do NOT shelter under a tree. Lightning will often strike the highest object around and many people have been killed by lightning flowing through the ground around trees or by the trees falling on them.
Instead you should crouch down to make yourself as small a target as possible. Keep away from water.

Quote, from Country life,
http://www.countrylife.co.uk/property/guid...nderstorms.html
Rev Christopher Miles, a lightning protection consultant and former electrical engineer for the RAF, says sheltering under a tree is the worst course of action but the most natural.

Quote from MET Office for kids,
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/kids..._facts_078.html
If you are stuck outside in a thunderstorm, the best way to stay out of danger is to get to low ground. Don't stand under a tree — this is more dangerous than standing out in the open.

Quote from London weather,
http://www.london-weatherstation.co.uk/thunder_lightning
If you're ever caught by a thunderstorm whilst you are in the middle of nowhere, do not lie down on the ground but squat down with your legs close together.

Quote from Channel 4
http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites...m/survival.html
If you're caught in a thunderstorm, the best strategy is to get inside the nearest building. And you're better off inside a car than out in the open.

Quote from, NOAA http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/yos...ghtning_faq.htm
What should I do if I'm caught out in the open during a thunderstorm and no shelter is nearby?
There are NO SAFE PLACES outdoors during a lightning storm.


The Lightning Crouch

To minimize your chance of being struck, crouch down on the balls of your feet (a position known as "The Lightning Crouch") and cover your ears. The Lightning Crouch will minimize your chances of being struck, but it WILL NOT guarantee your safety.

I do like the advice from the NOAA site.....
There are NO SAFE PLACES outdoors during a lightning storm.
I guess if you are going out in the open, take a look at the forecasts in the area first.

Final Thought!

This is why you don't stand under a tree in a thunderstorm!