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We want to hike in the Uintas in July, are there thunderstorms often, can we use anything to detect them?
Mr. H.
********************************************************* Mr. H,
I am also a scoutmaster and often worry about lightning.
You wanted to know about how much rain to expect in early July. That is really too far out to be accurate. The Uintas almost always have afternoon and evening showers during a 7-10 day period. So if you are planning to be gone a week, you will very likely get rained on.
Here is a web link from the National Weather Service for lightning safety: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/wxsafety/. We don't have any pamphlets at KSL on this.
A couple of things to keep in mind as far as lightning is concerned. Most of the storm you have will be out of the west and southwest, so keep an eye in that part of the sky for developing thunderstorms. Lightning can strike 20 minutes before it rains and 30 minutes after the rain stops, so don't judge when it is safe to be outdoors upon the rainfall. If you are stuck out in the open, get away from any metal frame packs, or any pack for that case. Get into a ball on the ground. Do not lie prone on the ground - you could have more charge go through you. If you can put up a tent quickly, it will be safer in that than in the open. Stay away from trees, fishing poles, lakes and rivers and metal.
Now realistically, you may be exposed to any or all of these conditions on a 50 mile hike, so keep an eye on the sky and take precautions before the weather turns dangerous; and it may seem a little too cautious at times, but it is better than having someone hurt.
I don't know about the lightning detector you mentioned, but it seems like an expensive instrument to have that is not used very often. I also have a problem with a hand-held unit like that and how close the lightning would have to be in order for it to detect anything.
Good luck on the hike.
Keith Merrill KSL meteorologist
