Thunderstorms are one of the more serious weather risks when camping. Lightning, strong wind, heavy rain, and flash flooding can all happen in a short time. This guide explains how to plan for storms and what to do when one arrives. It is general safety information, not a guarantee of safety. Always follow the guidance of local authorities, park staff, and your weather service, and err on the side of caution.
Can you be in a tent during a thunderstorm?
A standard camping tent does not protect you from lightning. The fabric and poles are not designed to carry or divert a strike, and a tent will not shield you from falling branches or strong wind either. Staying in a tent may be the only option sometimes, but it is not a safe shelter.
Safer shelters, when available, are:
- A substantial enclosed building with plumbing and electricity, such as a campground shower house (see where to shower when camping), lodge, or visitor center
- A hard-topped metal vehicle (see car camping basics) with the windows closed. Avoid touching metal parts inside, and do not use the car as a shelter if it is a convertible or soft-top
Pavilions, picnic shelters, and open-sided structures generally do not provide good protection from lightning.
If you are camping in a tent, the best approach is to plan ahead so that you can get to a safer shelter quickly when storms are forecast.
Before the trip and before the storm
- Check the forecast before you go and again each day. Look for thunderstorm risk, especially in the afternoon, when storms are common in many regions. Weather can change faster than forecasts, so also watch the sky.
- Know where your shelter is. On arrival, note the nearest building and where your vehicle is parked. Make sure the whole group knows the plan.
- Have a way to get alerts. Cell service may be poor, so consider a weather radio or offline weather source if you camp remotely.
- Choose your campsite carefully (see below).
- Secure your camp. Stake the tent well, tighten guy lines, close the rainfly, and put away loose items. Keep a windbreak or tarp low and well anchored, or take it down if wind picks up.
- Be willing to change plans. If a severe thunderstorm is forecast, shortening the trip or moving to a safer location is a sound decision; our guide on how to plan a camping trip covers building in backup options.
Pick a safer campsite
- Avoid being the tallest object around. Do not camp in open fields, on ridges, hilltops, or near isolated tall trees.
- Avoid water edges and exposed shorelines.
- Do not camp in dry creek beds, ravines, or other low spots that can flood quickly. Slightly raised ground that is not exposed, and sheltered by a stand of trees of similar height, is often considered preferable to open ground.
- Look overhead for dead or leaning trees and large branches that could fall in strong wind.
- Choose ground with good drainage so water does not run through the tent.
Remember the trade-off: you want to avoid both lightning exposure and flooding.
When a storm approaches
When you hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck. A widely used saying is “when thunder roars, go indoors.”
- Move to a safer shelter as soon as you hear thunder or see lightning, rather than waiting for it to get close.
- Counting is a rough guide only. You may have heard the “30-second rule,” where you count seconds between flash and thunder and seek shelter if it is 30 seconds or less. Many safety agencies now recommend going to shelter as soon as you hear thunder at all.
- Stay put until it passes. A commonly recommended approach is to wait about 30 minutes after the last thunder you hear before leaving shelter.
- Stay away from tall trees, water, metal fences, and open areas.
- Avoid using corded electronics and plumbing indoors if you are in a building.
If you are stuck in the tent
Sometimes you cannot get to a safer place in time. In that case, risk reduction, not full protection, is the goal.
- Stay away from tent poles and the tent walls, and do not touch metal.
- Sit on an insulating sleeping pad or your pack and keep your feet together, rather than lying flat on the ground.
- Spread out the group if possible, so one strike does not affect everyone, particularly when outdoors.
- Keep your gear dry and be ready for flooding or falling branches.
- Be ready to leave quickly if water starts to rise.
None of this makes a tent safe. It is meant only to reduce risk when you have no better option.
If you are caught outside
- Move away from open areas, ridgelines, tall isolated trees, and water if you can do so quickly.
- Look for a safer shelter or vehicle first.
- If lightning threatens and there is no shelter, many agencies suggest crouching on the balls of your feet with feet together, minimizing contact with the ground, and not lying flat. This position is a last resort that reduces risk only slightly, and it is not safe.
- Spread out if you are in a group.
- If someone is struck, call emergency services (more in camping survival skills). People struck by lightning do not carry an electrical charge, so it is safe to help. Check for breathing and pulse and begin CPR if you are trained and it is needed.
Wind, rain, and flooding
Lightning is not the only danger.
- Wind can collapse tents and bring down branches. Stake and guy out your tent. A tent door facing away from the wind is generally preferred.
- Flooding can happen quickly, including from storms upstream that you cannot see. Avoid camping near streams, in dry washes, or at the bottom of a slope.
- Hail can damage gear and cause injuries. A vehicle or building provides better protection.
If water begins to enter your campsite, move to higher ground without waiting.
After the storm
- Wait until the thunder has been absent for a while before leaving shelter.
- Check the tent and gear for damage and for hazards like broken branches.
- Dry wet gear to avoid mold and keep warm; wet bedding can make you cold at night.
- Check weather updates, since another cell may follow.
- Report damage or hazards to campground staff.
Heat is often the lead-in to storm season, so if you camp in warm conditions, our guide to hot weather camping tips covers staying cool and when to watch the afternoon sky.
Quick storm checklist
- Check the forecast and know your nearest shelter.
- Camp away from ridges, open fields, isolated trees, and low flood-prone ground.
- Secure the tent and gear early.
- At the first thunder, go to a building or hard-topped vehicle.
- Wait about 30 minutes after the last thunder.
- If caught outside, move away from hazards and reduce ground contact. Never lie flat.
- When in doubt, leave.