Lightning and Storms: When to Get Off the Water

If you paddle where thunderstorms may develop, plan how you will reach shore and enclosed shelter before you launch.

The National Weather Service says to get to land and safe shelter when skies threaten, and to seek shelter immediately if you hear thunder. Stay there for at least thirty minutes after the last thunder.

This page summarizes published safety guidance. It is not a substitute for instruction, and conditions on your water may differ. Check the current rules for the state and water you paddle.

Lightning can strike outside the rain area, according to the National Weather Service. If you hear thunder, get off the water and seek shelter immediately; wait in safe shelter for at least thirty minutes after the last thunder. ¹

The rest of this page walks through it, step by step.

Key Takeaways

The National Weather Service says to head for land and safe shelter when skies threaten; hearing thunder calls for immediate shelter.
Stay in safe shelter for at least 30 minutes after the last thunder, according to the National Weather Service. ¹
The US Coast Guard’s 2023 guide says to carry one approved, wearable, properly sized and serviceable life jacket per person, readily accessible. Wearing one is its separate recommendation.
Counting seconds from a flash to thunder can estimate distance, but the National Weather Service says you should already be in safe shelter while counting. ²

Paddlecraft accounted for 26 percent of recreational boating deaths where vessel type was known in the Coast Guard’s 2024 report. That boating-wide share is not a lightning-specific statistic. ³

That 30-minute wait is a minimum for the lightning hazard, not a sign that wind or water conditions are safe for your boat.

Why You Leave the Water at the First Thunder

The National Weather Service’s safety message is “When thunder roars, go indoors.” Its current guidance says no place outdoors is safe when thunderstorms are in the area. ¹

If you are on the water and skies threaten, the service says to get back to land and find a fully enclosed building or hard-topped vehicle. If you hear thunder, seek that shelter immediately. ¹

An open kayak or canoe is not safe shelter during a thunderstorm. The National Weather Service says to get off the water and into a substantial building or enclosed, metal-topped vehicle. ¹

The National Weather Service says water and metal conduct electricity but do not attract lightning. Changing paddle or hull material does not turn open water into safe shelter. ¹

When you hear thunder while paddling, the National Weather Service says to seek shelter immediately; do not wait to see lightning or measure its distance. ¹

Thunder, Not Rain, Is Your Warning Signal

The signal to read is sound, not sight. The National Weather Service says lightning can strike outside the rain area, sometimes 10 to 15 miles from a thunderstorm. You cannot rely on seeing rain to know whether lightning is near. ⁴

A storm may look distant, yet lightning strikes can still reach your kayak or canoe from far away. Hearing thunder means you are within striking distance of the storm and need to seek safe shelter immediately, regardless of where the rain falls. ²

Thunder is a warning even when rain has not reached you.

The National Weather Service says to seek safe shelter as soon as you hear thunder. Threatening skies can call for heading to land sooner. ¹

Once ashore, an open-sided picnic shelter or isolated tree is not safe lightning shelter; the service names a substantial building or enclosed, metal-topped vehicle. ¹

What the 30–30 Rule Does and Does Not Tell You

The flash-to-thunder count estimates the distance to a particular lightning strike: the National Weather Service puts sound travel at about five seconds per mile. Its science page says you should be in a safe place while counting. ²

An NWS statement from 2006 called this the “30/30 rule”: its first number referred to a flash and thunder separated by thirty seconds or less. That older distance mnemonic is not permission to stay on the water until a count falls below thirty seconds. The service’s current action guidance is to seek shelter whenever you hear thunder. ¹ ² ⁵

If skies threaten while you are on the water, get to land and a fully enclosed building or hard-topped vehicle, as the National Weather Service advises.
If you hear thunder, seek safe shelter immediately, regardless of a flash-to-thunder count.
Stay in safe shelter for at least thirty minutes after the last thunder. Check the forecast and water conditions again before deciding whether to paddle. ¹

Small Craft Advisories Are Local Warnings

Lightning is not the only weather hazard on the water. The National Weather Service issues Small Craft Advisories for coastal and Great Lakes forecast areas when local wind, wave, or other marine conditions meet the office’s criteria. The thresholds differ by area, and the service says there is no precise definition of a small craft. ⁶

Before you launch, check the National Weather Service marine forecast for your location; the weather and wind guide explains its advisories. An advisory warns that conditions may affect small vessels; the absence of one does not establish safe conditions for a kayak or canoe. The National Weather Service says vessel size, seaworthiness and operator experience also matter. ⁶

Reading River Gauges and Tides

The National Weather Service says thunderstorms can produce torrential rain over a short period, resulting in flash flooding, so it helps to know where to look. ¹

You can find local wind and advisory information through the National Weather Service marine forecast. ⁶
USGS Water Data provides streamflow and gage-height readings; check the time stamp and station location before using a reading. ⁷
NOAA’s Tides and Currents provides local tide and current predictions. ⁸

The USGS distinguishes gage height, the water-surface height above a gauge datum, from the river’s depth. ⁷

Discharge, measured in cubic feet per second, describes the volume of water passing a point over time. Read both values with local conditions in mind before you paddle your canoe or kayak. ⁷

Gear You Must Carry, and Gear You Should

Federal carriage rules and the American Canoe Association’s Paddler’s Safety Checklist brochure serve different purposes. The US Coast Guard’s 2023 guide describes federal equipment requirements; the ACA checklist is paddling guidance and has no printed publication date. State rules may add requirements. ⁹ ¹⁰

Equipment	Federal requirement or condition	ACA checklist item
Wearable life jacket	Carry one Coast Guard-approved, properly sized, serviceable wearable life jacket for each person; keep it readily accessible	Wear your life jacket
Sound signal	Under Navigation Rule 33, a vessel shorter than 39.4 feet (12 meters) needs some means of making an efficient sound signal	Carry a whistle or sound-signaling device
Lights for a vessel under oars	On U.S. inland waters between sunset and sunrise, Rule 25 allows sailing-vessel lights, an all-round white light, or a ready white torch or lantern shown in time to prevent collision; Rule 20 also addresses restricted visibility	Carry a light or signal for low-light conditions
Throwable life jacket	Required on recreational boats 16 feet and longer, except canoes and kayaks	No separate item on the checklist

Source: US Coast Guard, A Boater’s Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats (2023), and Navigation Rules 20, 25 and 33; American Canoe Association, Paddler’s Safety Checklist brochure (undated). ⁹ ¹¹ ¹⁰

The Federal Floor

The Coast Guard’s 2023 guide says the wearable life jacket for each person must fit, be approved and serviceable, and be readily accessible. It separately recommends wearing it whenever the vessel is underway. ⁹

The Coast Guard’s 2024 Recreational Boating Statistics report says that where cause of death was known, 76 percent of fatal boating incident victims drowned. Where life-jacket use was known, 87 percent of drowning victims were not wearing one. Those are reported boating statistics, not a measure of an individual trip’s risk. ³

Navigation Rule 33 says vessels shorter than 39.4 feet (12 meters) need a means of making an efficient sound signal, although they need not carry the larger vessels’ prescribed sound appliances. On U.S. inland waters, Rule 25 gives vessels under oars a choice of sailing-vessel lights, an all-round white light, or a ready white torch or lantern shown in sufficient time to prevent collision. The international version omits the all-round-white alternative. Rule 20 applies from sunset to sunrise and addresses restricted visibility; a motor-driven craft has different lighting requirements. ¹¹

Canoes and kayaks are exempt from the additional throwable life jacket requirement even when they are 16 feet or longer, according to the Coast Guard’s 2023 guide. ⁹

Additional ACA Checklist Items

The American Canoe Association’s undated Paddler’s Safety Checklist brochure lists a compass and chart or map, a first-aid kit, drinking water and snacks, a dry bag with extra clothing, a whistle or other sound-signaling device, a light for low-light conditions, and a GPS locator. These are selected checklist items, not extra federal carriage rules. ¹⁰

The ACA checklist also says to file a float plan with someone who will notify others if you do not return on time. Check the equipment and rules that apply to your craft and route before leaving shore. ¹⁰

Your Step-by-Step Plan for a Thunderstorm on the Water

The National Weather Service says to head for land and enclosed shelter when skies threaten. If you hear thunder, seek shelter immediately and stay there at least thirty minutes after the last thunder. ¹

Here is the sequence from first rumble to relaunch.

If skies threaten, get to land and a substantial building or enclosed, metal-topped vehicle. If you hear thunder, seek that shelter immediately. ¹
Stay there at least thirty minutes after the last thunder. Recheck the forecast and water conditions before deciding whether to paddle again. ¹ ⁶

Treat thunder as a warning to seek shelter immediately, even if rain is distant. Threatening skies may call for heading ashore before you hear thunder. ¹ ⁴

The thirty-minute period is the National Weather Service’s minimum shelter wait after the last thunder. It does not tell you that the next forecast, wind, waves or current will suit your boat. ¹ ⁶

Stay in safe shelter through the wait, then assess the full conditions before considering a return to the water.

When Thunder Decides the Day for You

The National Weather Service says to seek safe shelter as soon as you hear thunder, and sooner if threatening skies are developing while you are on the water. Stay sheltered for at least 30 minutes after the last thunder. ¹

An open kayak or canoe is not lightning shelter. A substantial building or enclosed, metal-topped vehicle is the service’s safe-shelter choice. ¹

Wear your approved life jacket, carry the applicable signaling gear, and check the marine forecast before you launch. If storms threaten, head for land and safe shelter. ⁹ ¹ ¹¹ ⁶

Use the river-flow and tides guide for the separate water-condition check.

National Weather Service, Lightning Tips, Spotter Safety First, Outdoor Lightning Safety, and Lightning Safety Rules, undated guidance, accessed September 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰
https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-science-thunder (National Weather Service, undated science page, accessed September 2026) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
https://www.uscgboating.org/library/accident-statistics/Recreational-Boating-Statistics-2024.pdf (US Coast Guard, Recreational Boating Statistics 2024, executive summary p. 6) ↩ ↩²
https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-myths (National Weather Service, undated myths page, accessed September 2026) ↩ ↩²
https://www.weather.gov/media/notification/pdfs/pns06lightning_safety_2006.pdf (National Weather Service, public information statement, June 15, 2006, p. 1) ↩
https://www.weather.gov/marine/faq (National Weather Service, marine forecast FAQ, undated, accessed September 2026) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/blog/gage_height/ (2021-07-21) ↩ ↩² ↩³
https://www.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ (NOAA Tides and Currents, accessed September 2026) ↩
https://www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Boaters-Guide-to-Federal-Requirements-for-Receational-Boats-20231108.pdf ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵
https://americancanoe.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/sei-educational_resources/brochure_paddler_s_safety_ch.pdf (American Canoe Association, Paddler’s Safety Checklist brochure, undated brochure, accessed September 2026) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/navigation-rules-amalgamated (US Coast Guard Navigation Center, Rules 20, 25 and 33, accessed September 2026) ↩ ↩² ↩³