You see a flash. You hear a rumble. You count.
The 30/30 rule is the standard from the National Weather Service, the NFHS, and the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook. It is the cleanest rule in youth-sports weather safety because it is a count and a clock.
The first 30: when to clear. Count the seconds between a lightning flash and the corresponding thunder. If the count is under 30 seconds, the lightning is within 6 miles and capable of reaching where you are standing. Clear the field.
Where to go. A substantial enclosed building. Not a dugout, not a wooden gazebo, not a tent, not under a tree. The “substantial” part means a building with electrical wiring, plumbing, and a real roof. Schools, indoor athletic facilities, restrooms with full walls.
A hard-topped vehicle with windows up is the second-best option. Cars are not Faraday cages but they are vastly safer than open fields. Stay away from interior metal contact points.
What does not work: dugouts, equipment sheds, picnic shelters, tents, golf carts, the under-tree spot. People die in these structures regularly.
The second 30: when to come back. Wait 30 minutes from the last flash or thunderclap. The clock resets with every new flash or rumble. If lightning at 7:08 is followed by lightning at 7:25, the resume clock starts at 7:25, not 7:08.
The 30-minute number is the published standard. Some programs use 20 minutes; the more conservative 30 is what NWS recommends.
The thing parents miss most. Lightning can strike up to 10 miles from the parent storm. A clear sky overhead does not mean safe. If you can hear thunder at all, lightning is close enough to be a risk.
Indoor sports during outdoor storms. Programs in metal-roofed gymnasiums or covered turf facilities should still pause if lightning is close. The buildings are usually safe; the moment kids walk to or from cars in the parking lot, they are not.
For the coach calling the game. The decision is yours. Tournament organizers may push to play through. The 30/30 rule is non-negotiable. A delayed game is a delayed game. A struck kid is a tragedy.
For the parent. Watch the sky. Watch your phone’s lightning detection app. Watch the coach. If the coach is delaying the call, you can pull your kid first and explain it later.
If someone is struck. Call 911 immediately. Lightning-strike victims are not electrically charged. You can touch them. If they are not breathing, start CPR. Use the AED if available. Roughly 90 percent of lightning-strike victims survive with prompt CPR.
The honest part: youth-sports lightning fatalities cluster around moments of organizational hesitation. The coach who is unsure, the tournament that wants to keep going, the parent who is unwilling to be “that parent.” The 30/30 rule exists so the decision is not a judgment call. It is a count and a clock.