Where should a visitor shelter from lightning?

Get inside a substantial enclosed building or a hard-topped enclosed vehicle.

Which places do not protect a visitor from lightning?

These places do not protect you: Open-sided beach or picnic shelters, Tents, Water and wet items, Tall, isolated trees and other tall objects, Open fields, hilltops, and ridges, Metal fences and poles.

Beach lightning safety

Leave the water and beach when you hear thunder or see lightning

If you hear thunder or see lightning, leave the water and beach immediately.

Sources checked August 20, 2026: National Weather Service lightning safety outdoors (opens in a new tab) and NOAA Ocean Today: When Lightning Strikes (opens in a new tab) .

Where to shelter

Safe choices

A substantial enclosed building
A hard-topped enclosed vehicle

Places that do not protect you

Open-sided beach or picnic shelters
Tents
Water and wet items
Tall, isolated trees and other tall objects
Open fields, hilltops, and ridges
Metal fences and poles

When to return

Wait at least 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder before returning to the beach.

Source: National Weather Service lightning safety outdoors (opens in a new tab) · Source: NOAA Ocean Today: When Lightning Strikes (opens in a new tab)

Beach lightning safety questions

When should a visitor leave the beach for lightning?: If you hear thunder or see lightning, leave the water and beach immediately.; Source: NOAA Ocean Today: When Lightning Strikes (opens in a new tab)
Where should a visitor shelter from lightning?: Get inside a substantial enclosed building or a hard-topped enclosed vehicle.; Source: National Weather Service lightning safety outdoors (opens in a new tab)
Which places do not protect a visitor from lightning?: These places do not protect you: Open-sided beach or picnic shelters, Tents, Water and wet items, Tall, isolated trees and other tall objects, Open fields, hilltops, and ridges, Metal fences and poles.; Source: National Weather Service lightning safety outdoors (opens in a new tab)
When may a visitor return to the beach after thunder?: Wait at least 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder before returning to the beach.; Source: National Weather Service lightning safety outdoors (opens in a new tab)