Two lifeguards hospitalised after lightning strikes beach in Kerry as new thunderstorm warnings issued

Update: 3pm, 18 June 2023

26 counties have been issued with thunderstorm warnings for Sunday.

Two lifeguards were hospitalised this weekend after lightning struck a beach in Kerry. The incident occurred on Banna Beach near Tralee shortly before 4pm on Saturday (17 June) as a Status Yellow thunderstorm warning from Met Éireann was in effect for the county. In a statement to JOE, Water Safety Ireland said the lifeguards had observed flashes of lightning on the horizon and were in the process of clearing the water of people. It was at this point that a strike occurred on the beach close to both lifeguards. Water Safety Ireland describe the pair as being "fine" following the incident, stating that they did not suffer any wounds. However, they were taken by ambulance to hospital where they remained overnight for monitoring. "The beach was closed and Banna Rescue, a local voluntary search and rescue unit - which is one of the Community Rescue Boats of Ireland - did a great job in continuing to clear the water and sand of visitors. All lifeguarded beaches in north Kerry were closed as a precaution," Water Safety Ireland added.

"If you are ever in a thunderstorm, cancel any plans to go swimming and if you are swimming, get to shore as quickly as possible, as water conducts electricity, in much the same way as metal pipes and phone lines. "Take shelter. The thunder starts as a shockwave from the lightning. The lightning itself can strike up to 10 miles from the centre of a storm. "Count the seconds between seeing any lightning and hearing thunder. We see lightning first because light travels faster than sound. It takes approximately five seconds for the sound of thunder to travel a mile. "So, when you count the number of seconds between seeing a crack of lightning and hearing the thunder, divide that number by five and that is how many miles away the lightning was when it struck. Keep in mind that you should be in a safe place while counting."

Kerry County Council has also said there will be no lifeguards on duty at Banna Beach on Sunday (18 June) following the incident. "Those using the beach are advised to be aware of this. Kerry County Council apologises for any inconvenience caused," a Twitter statement read. https://twitter.com/countykerry/status/1670146303748194304 Meanwhile, 26 counties have been issued with Status Yellow thunderstorm warnings that will take effect on Sunday. One of these was issued by Met Éireann and will take effect from 10am to 10pm on the same day. This warning applies to the provinces of Connacht and Munster, as well as the counties Cavan, Donegal, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly and Westmeath. "Thunderstorms bringing frequent lightning, heavy downpours, gusty winds and the chance of hail," Met Éireann's alert reads. The Irish meteorological service also said the possible impacts of the weather conditions include "localised flooding" and "difficult travel conditions". https://twitter.com/MetEireann/status/1670319087057096708 On top of this, the UK Met Office issued a Status Yellow thunderstorm warning for Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Fermanagh and Tyrone. This will be in place from 12pm to 9pm on Sunday. Read more:

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