THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 16, 1994 TAG: 9407160248
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: VIRGINIA
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Several violent thunderstorms this year have sparked an unusually large number of damaging lightning strikes throughout the state, meteorologists and insurance companies say.
In the past few months, lightning has been blamed for the deaths of a golfer and boaters, several fires and damage to many homes. On Wednesday, much of historic St. James's Episcopal Church in Richmond was destroyed in a blaze believed to have been started by a strike to the roof.
Last month, lightning even hit the National Weather Service office in Sterling.
State climatologist Pat Michaels said this year's storms have not been more severe than usual, but their timing has been bad. People have often been fooled by clear weather earlier in the day, he said.
``There have been a lot of thunderstorms this year that are occurring late in the afternoon,'' he said. ``These were days that were initially sunny, so people were outside.''
Lightning has been blamed for several deaths. Last month, five members of a West Virginia family on a boating trip were struck after they sought shelter under a tree, police said.
In May, Ralph E. Davis III, 26, was struck by a lightning bolt as he was playing golf in Henrico County. Police also said he apparently sought shelter under a tree.
Tom Shaughness, a Richmond resident who likes to play late-afternoon golf several times a week, said that experienced players know how to work around storms.
Shaughness said he turns on The Weather Channel before he heads out. If a storm is looming in one area of Richmond, he'll trek over to a course on the other side of the city.
But, he said, if the television screen shows ``a whole lot of clouds all over, I go home and eat dinner.''
People are safest if they go inside during storms, said Jonathan Blaes, a Weather Service meteorologist. But many structures themselves have been hit. Damage ranges from charred roofs to zapped electrical outlets and appliances.
``This is probably been one of our worst years for lightning strikes throughout the state,'' said Mark Baldwin, a Richmond claims manager for the Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia.
Baldwin said many homeowners in central Virginia and Tidewater have reported damage in the last three months. He said that many problems can be avoided if appliances are unplugged during storms. But, he said, ``that takes a little bit of time, and everyone thinks, `It's not going to hit my house.' ''
Some who have been hit, however, vow not to let it happen again. Companies that install lightning rods and grounding systems report brisk business.
``We're having a busy year, that's for sure,'' said Kimberly Graziano, a spokeswoman for Loehr Lightning Protection Co. in Richmond.
Graziano said that only 1 percent to 2 percent of homes in the state have lightning protection, which costs about $1,000 for most homes.
``Many people don't even come to us until they've been hit numerous times,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS photo
Lightning erupts over Richmond during a storm Wednesday. Since
February, there have been about 147,000 lightning strikes recorded
in the eastern two-thirds of Virginia. There were nearly 82,000
strikes for the same period in 1993.
KEYWORDS: LIGHTENING by CNB