A recent judgment in Brazil has created case law on the liability of farm owners for the death by lightning impact of a worker in 2019, by ordering him to continue work in the field during a thunderstorm. Subjective decision-making, based on criteria of the probability of the impact of a lightning strike or on traditional methods puts people’s lives at risk. On the contrary, as stated in the Brazilian standard ABNT NBR 16785 on thunderstorm detection, some systems make it possible to objectify the decision and save workers and assets from the imminent risk of a lightning strike.

With the arrival of good weather, outdoor festivals are multiplying across the northern hemisphere. The coming of spring marks the start of large concerts and music events that face several safety challenges, especially in adverse weather conditions. Like any open-air event, a festival is not exempt from the risk of a thunderstorm, which can cause damage to property and personal injury if adequate safety measures are not taken.

Satellites are a necessity in modern life for a variety of purposes (weather forecasting, scientific exploration, long-range communications, etc.). The vehicles that place satellites in orbit are sensitive to natural and rocket-induced lightning threats. That is why NASA developed the LLCC set of rules to assess whether the weather conditions permit the launches. Since its application, incidents such as those of Apollo 12 and Atlas-Centaur 67 have not occurred again. Within these criteria, the ambient electric field plays an essential role and is measured by a network of field mills (electrostatic field sensors) at the Kennedy Space Center.