Internet tools at our fingertips are making us increasingly weather savvy and better prepared for severe storms.
Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson says various websites and apps allow us to track storms and access weather data.
"There are lightning detection capabilities now on some websites where you can see the lightning actually getting closer," says Coulson. "We actually stress lightning safety as one of the big things because Environment Canada really only sends severe thunderstorm watches or warnings for a small percentage of all the thunderstorms that we get, but any thunderstorm by definition has that lightning associated and we want to have a healthy respect for that lightning."
Coulson was at the Sarnia Yacht Club Wednesday night where a capacity crowd was on hand for the yearly training of CANWARN storm spotters.
CANWARN is a network of volunteers across the province that provides critical eyewitness weather information to assist forecasters.
It began in Windsor in 1987 in the amateur radio community.
There were 11 confirmed or probable tornadoes in the province last year with Ontario's long term average at 12.
But Coulson reiterates that lightning is the greatest threat.
"If you're close enough to actually hear the thunder coming from that storm, the lightning that's producing that thunder is close enough to be dangerous," he says.
We're advised to go indoors when thunder roars.