In some sense, all lightning is dangerous. I know this.

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But how dangerous?

After a Seaside Park lifeguard lost his life after being struck by lightning, the culture surrounding weather and safety and drastically changed here at the Jersey Shore.

(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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Lightning detection systems have already been set up throughout the shore so we never see a repeat incident ever again.

Earlier last week, I was on the beach for a quick visit when I spotted something that I looked like lightning?

It has to be lightning. What else could it be?

After I saw a few flashes like the one I caught in the video below, I looked around and the crowds who were also on the beach didn't seem all that bothered.

Surprisingly enough, no one took this as a cue to leave the beach.

Everyone carried on happy as a clam.

So I recorded a few seconds of what I spotted and thought I would ask the masses.

First of all: What is this? I wanted to guess heat lightning?

According to Weather.gov, "the term heat lightning is commonly used to describe lightning from a distant thunderstorm just too far away to see the actual cloud-to-ground flash or to hear the accompanying thunder. While many people incorrectly think that heat lightning is a specific type of lightning, it is simply the light produced by a distant thunderstorm."

FYI: Lightning can be a threat up to 30 miles away so that doesn't answer much, does it.

Second of all: If the public spots this in New Jersey, should we get our butts indoors?

Or, does it look a bit more intimidating than it actually is?

Please send me any and all information on this topic at Nicole.Murray@townsquaremedia.com. It would be greatly appreciated.

Here are some other do's and don'ts to keep in mind while at the beach:

New Jersey's Beach Commandments: Do's & Don'ts at the Beach

The 25 Most Dangerous Cities in New Jersey

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