The Great Outdoors are wondrous, awe inspiring, and both physically and mentally beneficial to experience. However, the Great Outdoors bring with them various weather and environmental hazards that can ruin your adventure and even be very dangerous. It is important to know your risks, take action to prepare and minimize those risks, and serve as an example for others to emulate.

Lightning

The Great Outdoors, especially during the warmer months, can be susceptible to quick forming thunderstorms. The weather can change dramatically in mountainous areas and near large bodies of water. Extreme weather can be a bit more extreme in the Great Outdoors. Make sure you plan ahead and “know before you go” to the chances of lightning in the forecast. 

Some quick tips include:

• Schedule day hikes or other activities to avoid times when thunderstorms are possible (which typically form in the late afternoon).
• Identify locations with adequate shelter and reduced exposure to lightning.
• Keep a close watch of the sky and look for those towering clouds bubbling upward. These can be thunderstorms forming. 

Flash Flooding

Are you planning to camp or hike near a stream or river? Remember that it doesn’t have to rain directly over you for there to be flooding. If you notice even a slight rise in water level, seek higher ground immediately!

Slot canyon flash flooding

Slot canyons are nature’s masterpieces, but are also susceptible to flash flooding. Flooding can occur even if there is blue sky above as rainwater can flow from an area that flows into the slot canyon.

Know the signs of an impending flash flood:

• Rising water levels and/or stronger currents
• Increasing roar of water up canyon
• Floating debris
• Sudden changes in water from clear to muddy

Heat

During hot and humid weather, your body's ability to cool itself is challenged in ways you may not expect. When your body heats too rapidly, or when too much fluid or salt is lost through dehydration or sweating, you could experience a heat-related illness.

Stay safe outdoors during the heat:

• Slow down. Reduce, eliminate or reschedule strenuous activities until the coolest time of the day. 
• Drink plenty of water (not very cold), non-alcoholic and decaffeinated fluids, even if you don't feel thirsty.
• Dress for summer. Wear lightweight, loose fitting, light-colored clothing to reflect heat and sunlight.
• Minimize direct exposure to the sun. Sunburn reduces your body's ability to dissipate heat.
• Eat light, cool, easy-to-digest foods such as fruit or salads. If you pack food, put it in a cooler or carry an ice pack. Don't leave it sitting in the sun. Meats and dairy products can spoil quickly in hot weather.

Everyone is at risk to the dangers of heat illness, but some people are especially vulnerable:

• Newborns / children
• Pregnant people
• The elderly
• People with chronic illness

Age and certain conditions make the body less able to regulate temperature. Take extra care to ensure they remain safe from the heat. 

Air Quality

Before you go out, check the check the air quality forecast.

Poor air quality can be hazardous to anyone, and it can aggravate health problems such as asthma, heart disease, and lung disease. Seniors, children and those with compromised immune systems are especially at risk.

Air quality is reported using the Air Quality Index (AQI). It tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you.  The higher the number, the greater the health concern. 

Today’s the day to start thinking about air quality.

What can you do? Pay attention to the Air Quality Index (AQI). The AQI is a tool that tells you when high levels of air pollution are predicted and tells you how air pollution affects your health. Finding the AQI is easy. 

The AQI is easy to use. If the AQI predicts a “Code Orange” (unhealthy for sensitive groups) day don’t cancel your plans—use the AQI to help you plan a better time or place for them.

The AQI tells you about five major air pollutants in the U.S. that are regulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency, including ozone and particle pollution. Ozone and particle pollution may harm the health of hundreds of thousands of Americans each year.

Ozone and Particle Pollution

Let’s say that the ozone level where you live is predicted to be Code Orange tomorrow. If you’re a runner—even if you’re healthy—that air quality could hurt you. Using the AQI, you can plan your run for when ozone levels will be lower, shorten your run or walk instead, or run on a treadmill indoors.

Particle pollution has been linked to heart attacks and strokes, and even death in people with heart disease. On a day when particle pollution will be at Code Orange, do something less intense. Walk instead of run, or weed your garden instead of doing heavier work.

Use the AQI Wherever You Go

Don’t forget to check the AQI when you’re on vacation or travel. No matter where you go, you can always access the AQI.

Winter adventure safety tips

Be responsible: Your safety and the safety of others around you is your primary responsibility. What you wear, where you go, the equipment you carry and how you conduct yourself is vitally important.

Be avalanche savvy: Know the conditions present for an avalanche. Take a certified avalanche course. 

Be aware: Know the avalanche danger/conditions where you will be recreating. Heed all warnings.

Be prepared: Have at least these three safety items with you at all times and know how to use them. Everyone in your party should carry each of these items: 

• Avalanche transceiver: Know the terrain and avoid dangerous conditions. If you are caught in an avalanche, use your avalanche transceiver to help others in your party find you.
• Avalanche probes: These collapsible poles are longer than ski poles and are the perfect tool to begin searching for someone buried under the snow.
• Shovel: Each person in your party should carry a shovel. Shovels can help you dig others out who may be caught in an avalanche, help determine snowpack conditions, assist in leveling out an area for a tent, or be used to melt snow for drinking water. Watch a video about how to use your rescue tools.
• Backpack: Your pack should hold all your rescue gear, food, water, dry clothing, first-aid kit and other items. 
• Partner: None of the above pieces of equipment will help you if you venture into the backcountry alone – always bring a buddy. 

Remember: You are responsible for the safety of yourself and for those around you.

Floods can happen anytime during the year, such as after winter snowmelts, spring thunderstorms and fall hurricanes. When fire devastates a forest, little is left to hold the top soil in place so rains can send dangerous amounts of gushing water and mud.

Flash floods are rapidly developing floods that can happen with little or no warning. Flash floods can occur in mountainous areas on small streams, on rivers and even in towns. Water levels can suddenly rise in heavy rainstorms, leaving little time before small streams become raging rivers.

Stay safe from floods by following these tips:

• Know your area's flood risks and weather hazard bulletins by visiting weather.gov or your local news stations.
• Stay alert for signs of heavy rain with thunder and lightning where you are and upstream. Watch for rising water levels.
• Get to higher ground before flooding happens.
• It is NEVER safe to drive or walk into floodwaters. Turn Around Don't Drown.
• Avoid areas already flooded, especially if the water is flowing fast.
• Do not attempt to cross flowing streams.
• Don't try to swim to safety; wait for rescuers to come to you.
• Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize and respond to danger. During threatening conditions, do not camp or park your vehicle along streams and rivers.

Hail is precipitation in the form of a chunk of ice that can fall from a cumulonimbus cloud. Usually associated with multicell, supercell and cold front-induced squall line thunderstorms, most hail falls from the central region of a cloud in a severe storm.

If you are caught in a hailstorm:

• Seek shelter immediately if you are outdoors.  If you can’t find something to protect your entire body, at least find something to protect your head.
• Stay out of culverts and lowland areas that might fill suddenly with water.
• Stop driving. Pull safely onto the shoulder of the road away from any trees that could fall on your vehicle.
• If at all possible, pull into a sturdy garage or under a shelter to minimize hail damage.
• Do NOT leave your vehicle until it stops hailing. Your car will provide reasonable protection.

Exposure to extreme heat can have many direct effects on human health (heat stroke, reduced labor productivity), as well as indirect effects (promoting air pollution and increasing asthma attacks, overloading power grids requiring rolling blackouts). Negative health outcomes occur if an individual is exposed to the hazard and has not sufficiently adapted to reduce sensitivity.

What are the signs of heat related illness?

Heat-related illnesses happen when the body is not able to properly cool itself. While the body normally cools itself by sweating, during extreme heat, this might not be enough. In these cases, a person’s body temperature rises faster than it can cool itself down. This can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs. Types of heat related illnesses include:

• Heat Cramps - Muscular pains and spasms due to heavy exertion. Although heat cramps are the least severe, they are often the first signal that the body is having trouble with the heat.
  • What to look for: heavy sweating, muscle pains or spasms
  • Actions to take: stop physical activity and move to a cooler place, drink water or a sports drink. Seek medical attention if cramps last longer than one hour,
• Heat Exhaustion - Typically occurs when people exercise heavily or work in a hot, humid place where body fluids are lost through heavy sweating. Blood flow to the skin increases, causing blood flow to decrease to the vital organs. This results in a form of mild shock. If not treated, the victim's condition will worsen. Body temperature will keep rising and the victim may suffer heat stroke.
• Heat Stroke - A life-threatening condition. The victim's temperature control system, which produces sweating to cool the body, stops working. The body temperature can rise so high that brain damage and death may result if the body is not cooled quickly. A person who is experiencing heat stroke needs medical attention.

Safety Tips

Staying Safe Before a Heat Wave

• To begin preparing, you should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan.
• Gather food, water, medications in advance in case of store closures or having to relocate to a cooler location
• Know those in your neighborhood who are older, young, sick or have pre-existing medical conditions. They are more likely to become victims of excessive heat and may need help.
• Be aware that people living in urban areas may be at greater risk from the effects of a prolonged heat wave than are people living in rural areas.
• Get trained in first aid to learn how to treat heat-related emergencies.
• Hydrate with water throughout the day, and avoid sugary beverages or drinks with caffeine
• Check air-conditioning ducts for proper insulation.
  • Install window air conditioners snugly; insulate if necessary.
• Install temporary window reflectors (for use between windows and drapes), such as aluminum foil-covered cardboard, to reflect heat back outside.
• Weather-strip doors and sills to keep cool air in.
• Cover windows that receive morning or afternoon sun with drapes, shades, awnings, or louvers. (Outdoor awnings or louvers can reduce the heat that enters a home by up to 80 percent.)
• Keep storm windows up all year

Tips For Staying Safe During a Heat Wave

• Never leave children or pets alone in closed vehicles.
• Drink plenty of water; even if you do not feel thirsty. Avoid drinks with caffeine. Persons who have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease; are on fluid-restricted diets; or have a problem with fluid retention should consult a doctor before increasing liquid intake.
• Check on family, friends, and neighbors who do not have air conditioning and who spend much of their time alone.
• Check on your animals frequently to ensure that they are not suffering from the heat.
• Go to a designated public shelter if your home loses power during periods of extreme heat. Stay on the lowest floor out of the sunshine if air conditioning is not available.
• Check the weather/listen to NOAA Weather Radio for critical updates from the National Weather Service (NWS).

Tips If You Have To Be Outside

• Avoid strenuous work during the warmest part of the day. Use a buddy system when working in extreme heat, and take frequent breaks.
• Dress in loose-fitting, lightweight, and light-colored clothes that cover as much skin as possible. Avoid dark colors because they absorb the sun’s rays.
• Protect face and head by wearing sunblock and a wide-brimmed hat.
• Postpone outdoor games and activities.
• Stay indoors as much as possible and limit exposure to the sun.

Tips For Staying Safe After a Heat Wave

• In the event that you lose power in your home, it is important to throw out any food that became wet or warm without proper cooling.

Additional Safety Tips

• Eat well-balanced, light, and regular meals. Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do so by a physician.
• Limit intake of alcoholic beverages.
• Avoid extreme temperature changes.
• Consider spending the warmest part of the day in public buildings such as libraries, schools, movie theaters, shopping malls, and other community facilities. Circulating air can cool the body by increasing the perspiration rate of evaporation.
• Download the FEMA App for heat advisories and safety tips.
• Text SHELTER + your ZIP code to 43362 (4FEMA) to find the nearest shelter in your area (example: shelter 12345).

With winds of 74 mph or more, hurricanes are seasonal storms that develop over a large body of warm water. When reaching a land mass, they typically bring torrential rains, high waves, a storm surge, damaging winds and devastation. Lightning and tornadoes are also possible. 

On average, 11 tropical storms develop each year over the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean Sea, five of which will strike the U.S. coastline, killing 50-100 people, according to the National Hurricane Center. Although a hurricane’s intensity, speed and direction is unpredictable, it can be easily tracked by weather experts, giving travelers and forest visitors advanced warning to prepare

The National Weather Service issues hurricane and tropical storm warnings and watches to indicate the severity of the weather event:

• A tropical storm watch is issued when tropical storm conditions with sustained winds from 39 to 73 mph are possible in your area within the next 48 hours.
• Tropical storm warnings are issued when tropical storm conditions are expected in your area in the next 36 hours.
• A hurricane watch is issued when hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 mph or greater) are possible in your area in the next 48 hours.
• Hurricane warnings are issued when hurricane conditions are expected in your area in 36 hours or less.

Keep these tips in mind in the event of a hurricane: 

Modify travel plans and avoid visiting an area that is predicted to be in the path of an approaching hurricane.

• Always notify family or an emergency contact about your travel plans before visiting a forest.
• Get to a safe, indoor location before a tropical storm or hurricane approaches your area.
• Find a clear spot away from buildings, trees, streetlights, power lines and other overhead objects, if caught outside during a tropical storm. 
• Pull over to a clear location if you are in a vehicle.  Stop and remain in your vehicle with your seatbelt fastened.
• Have a hurricane preparedness kit, especially if you live and travel in hurricane-prone areas.
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both.

Remember: You are responsible for your safety and for the safety of those around you.

When exposed to cold temperatures, your body begins to lose heat faster than it can produce. Prolonged exposure to cold will eventually use up your body’s stored energy, resulting in hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature.

Body temperature that is too low affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly or move well. This makes hypothermia particularly dangerous since a person may not know it is happening and won’t be able to do anything about it.

Hypothermia is most likely at very cold temperatures, but it can occur even at cool temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit if a person becomes chilled from rain, sweat, or submersion in cold water.

Victims of hypothermia are most often:

• Elderly people with inadequate food, clothing, or heating
• Babies sleeping in cold bedrooms
• People who remain outdoors for long periods — the homeless, hikers, hunters, etc.
• People who drink alcohol or use illicit drugs.

How do you prevent hypothermia?

• Before you spend time outside in the cold, do not drink alcohol or smoke.
• Drink plenty of fluids and get adequate food and rest. Water helps turn calories into heat and food high in carbohydrates helps keep you powered.
• Wear proper clothing in cold temperatures to protect your body. These include:
• Mittens, not gloves.
• One word: Layers. The outermost clothing layer should be wind-proof and water-resistant; inner layers should be wool or synthetics that are warm when wet. As you get hot and sweat, you can shed a layer or two and still feel comfortable.
• Two pairs of socks. Wool socks will keep your feet warm even if your boots are wet.
• Waterproof hiking boots.
• Scarf and hat that cover the ears to help you avoid major heat loss through the top of your head

What should you avoid?

• Extremely cold temperatures, especially with high winds. Find shelter.
• Wet clothes.
• Poor circulation, which is more likely from age, tight clothing or boots, cramped positions, fatigue, certain medications, smoking, and alcohol.
• If you have diabetes or circulatory problems, see your doctor regularly and maintain good health habits in order to reduce the risk of blood vessel complications that may put you at risk for hypothermia.

What are the symptoms?

• Drowsiness
• Weakness and loss of coordination
• Pale and cold skin
• Confusion
• Uncontrollable shivering, although at extremely low body temperatures, shivering may stop
• Slowed breathing or heart rate

What should you do?

Take the person’s temperature. If it is below 95 degrees the situation is an emergency, so get medical attention immediately. If medical care is not available, begin warming the person, as follows:

• Move to a warm room or shelter.
• Remove any wet clothing from the victim.
• Warm the center of the body first — chest, neck, head, and groin — using an electric blanket, if available, or warm compresses. Use skin-to-skin contact under loose, dry layers of blankets, clothing, towels, or sheets.
• Provide the victim with non-alcoholic warm beverages – but no alcohol – to help increase body temperature. Do not try to give beverages to an unconscious person.
• Keep the person dry and wrapped – including the head and neck – in a warm blanket even if the body temperature has increased.
• Stay with the person until medical help arrives.

Do not do the following:

• Do not assume that someone found lying motionless in the cold is already dead.
• Do not use direct heat (such as hot water, a heating pad, or a heat lamp) to warm the person.
• Do not give the person alcohol.

How serious can it get?

A person with severe hypothermia may be unconscious and may not seem to have a pulse or to be breathing. CPR should be administered in that case and continue until while the victim is being warmed, until the victim responds or medical aid becomes available. In some cases, hypothermia victims who appear to be dead can be successfully resuscitated.

Lightning only needs to strike once to cause considerable injury or death and no place outside is safe when thunderstorms are in the area. More than half of all lightning victims are struck during recreational activities. However, there are precautions you can take, including:

Do:

• Move immediately to safe shelter -- a building or inside a closed metal topped vehicle with the windows up -- when you hear thunder. Thunder means that lightning is nearby.
• Stay sheltered until at least 30 minutes after you hear the last clap of thunder.
• Stay low when outdoors – lightning hits the tallest object. Get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges, or peaks. If caught in an open field, seek a low spot and crouch with your feet together and head low.
• Stay away from objects that conduct electricity, such as barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills, and other tall objects.
• Drop metal objects like golf clubs, fishing poles, umbrellas, and backpacks with metal frames. Wet items, such as ropes, also conduct electricity.
• Get off bicycles, motorcycles, horses, and all-terrain vehicles.
• Don't stay on lakes, ponds, and rivers. Seek shelter when a storm approaches. Boaters who cannot get off the water before the storm hits should crouch low in the boat. Once on land, get at least 100 yards away from shore.
• Carry a NOAA radio or visit weather.gov for weather updates. Remember that weather information is provided for a nearest city and not for a national forest or grassland.
• It is safe to touch someone who has been struck by lightning. Attend to people who have been struck by lightning. Call for help immediately. Perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, and stay with the victim until help arrives.

Don’t:

• Pitch your tent near the tallest tree – lightning strikes tall objects.
• Stand near isolated trees, on cliffs, ridge tops, or rocky overhangs. Run into the forest if possible. Caves are a last resort for shelter, as they have high risks, including falling hazards, rock falls, and cold, dark conditions.
• Stand in open fields. If you are caught in an open field, seek a low spot. Crouch with your feet together and head low.
• Sit or lie down – these positions provide much more contact with the ground, allowing a wider path for lightning to follow. If you are with a group and the threat of lightning is high, spread out at least 15 feet apart to minimize the chance of everybody getting hit.
• Return to an open area too soon. People have been struck by lightning near the end of a storm, which is still a dangerous time.

Remember: You are responsible for your safety and for the safety of those around you.

A tornado appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long. Tornadoes are capable of completely destroying structures, uprooting trees and hurling objects through the air.

What to do during a tornado:

• Get inside a building if possible. At a developed campground, the restroom may be the best option.
• If shelter is not available or there is no time to get indoors, lie in a ditch or low-lying area or crouch near a strong building.
• If your car is nearby, get into the vehicle, buckle your seat belt and try to drive to the closest sturdy shelter. Do not try to outdrive a tornado.
• If your vehicle is hit by flying debris while you are driving, pull over and park.
• Stay in the car with the seat belt on. Put your head down below the windows; cover your head with your hands and a blanket, coat or other cushion if possible.
• If you can safely get lower than the level of the roadway, leave your car and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands
• NEVER take shelter under a bridge or an overpass. The wind funnels debris under these structures, making these debris into weapons that could strike anyone hiding underneath. You are much safer in a ditch or low, flat location.
• Watch out for flying debris. Flying debris from tornadoes causes most fatalities and injuries.

Remember: You are responsible for your safety and for the safety of those around you.

A microburst is a localized column of sinking air that produces damaging winds near the ground. The high winds of a microburst can knock over full grown trees. The wind burst will typically last a few seconds. There are two types of microbursts: wet microbursts and dry microbursts.

Pay attention to high wind advisories and high wind warnings issued by the National Weather Service. Stay indoors if a high wind advisory or warning is in effect.

• Take shelter immediately if there are high winds in the area you are visiting.
• Watch out for falling trees and limbs, and flying debris.
• Be careful when driving. Strong winds can make driving difficult, especially high profile vehicles such as motorhomes, campers and trucks. Be careful on bridges and overpasses.

Tune in to local weather forecasts and bulletins issued by the National Weather Service. Visit weather.gov for weather updates.

Dust storms

Dust storms usually arrive with little warning and an advancing wall of dust and debris that can be miles long and several thousand feet high. Although they usually last only minutes, they can produce blinding, choking dust that reduces visibility and cause accidents.

• If dense dust is observed blowing across a road or approaching in your direction, pull your vehicle off the pavement as far as possible, stop, turn off lights, and set the emergency brake. Be sure to take your foot off of the brake pedal and that all tail lights are not illuminated to avoid another driver mistakenly going toward your vehicle in the belief that you are on the road.
• Don't enter the dust storm area if you can avoid it.
• If you can't pull off the roadway, continue at a speed suitable for visibility, turn on your headlights and sound horn occasionally. Use the painted center line to help guide you as you look for a safe place to pull off the road.
• Never stop on the traveled portion of the road.

Remember: You are responsible for the safety of yourself and for those around you.