2011 News Archive
Sirens at Johns Creek parks warn patrons of potential lightning strikes
6/18/2011
Thanks to lightning prediction devices and sirens at Ocee and Newtown parks, Johns Creek park patrons have advanced warning of possible lightning strikes.
The devices, made by Thor Guard, monitor the atmosphere's electrostatic energy up to 15 miles away and evaluate the potential for lightning within a 2-mile radius. When conditions seem favorable for lightning, a siren sounds for 15 seconds and a strobe flashes. The sirens may sound periodically if conditions persist. When conditions are no longer threatening, the siren sounds three blasts of five seconds each to signal all clear.
The Ocee Park Athletic Association installed a lightning prediction device atop a storage unit between two ball fields before the city was founded in 2006. Newtown Recreation installed a similar device on the concession stand this year.
To learn what to do in a thunderstorm, see the Lightning Safety page at the National Weather Service website.