Lightning Strike Leaves Its Mark on Golf Course Green in Des Moines, Iowa

Chris Dolce
Published: July 13,2016

Lightning strike on a practice green in Des Moines, Iowa, photographed on July 12, 2016. (Credit: Des Moines Golf and Country Club/Rick Tegtmeier)

A line of thunderstorms that pushed through Iowa on Monday night produced a lightning bolt that left its mark on a golf course practice green in Des Moines.
Evidence of the strike on the green appeared in the form of tentacles of now darker grass spreading away in all directions from where the lightning strike occurred near the cup and pin. This was illustrated by a photo sent in a tweet by Rick Tegtmeier, the Director of Grounds at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club.
Tegtmeier said on his Twitter account that the strike even melted the cup, giving an indication of the brief, but intense heat that the bolt generated.

Radar snapshot of the storms at 11:21 p.m. CDT Monday night showing the line of storms pushing through Des Moines. (Credit: UCAR)

Radar history shows that the line of storms that was likely responsible for the lightning strike pushed through Des Moines just before midnight.
When lightning strikes earth, it branches out along the ground which, in this case, happened to be a green. These currents fan out from the strike center in a tendril pattern.
A lightning bolt can be fatal up to 100 feet away from the point of the strike, according to NOAA.
This is second time in the last couple of months that we've seen this happen to a golf course green.
In May, a lightning strike left a major mark on a green in Wichita Falls, Texas. Below is a photo from that incident.

Aftermath of a lightning strike on the 15th hole at Weeks Park Golf Club in Wichita Falls, Texas, on May 17, 2016.
(Anna Garcia/Twitter)

Lightning Facts

NOAA says that June, July and August are the peak months for lightning activity across the United States and the peak months for outdoor summer activities. As a result, more than 70 percent of the lightning deaths occurred (2006-2015) in June, July and August, with Saturdays and Sundays having slightly more deaths than other days of the week.

Florida typically sees the most lightning deaths on an annual basis.

 

Based on 2000-2010 averages: 

• Odds of being struck in a given year 1 in 1,000,000
• Odds of being struck in your lifetime 1 in 10,000

Lightning Safety

There are no safe places outdoors during a thunderstorm. If you hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning and must move indoors immediately.
If you're unable to seek shelter in a substantial building or inside an enclosed metal-topped vehicle, you should avoid open fields, stay in a low area away from hilltops and tall trees, and stay away from water and metal objects.