: Get the hell off the water as soon as you are aware of a thunderstorm on the
: horizon.

: A cable program I saw on thunderstorms documented a case where a person was
: struck
: by lightning out of the blue sky somewhere out west.

: They were in a mountainous area and while the sky overhead was clear, there
: was a
: thunderstorm out of sight, 10 MILES AWAY, that the weather service tracked
: the lighting bolt to.

I've heard the same thing. While it isn't common, it is possible for lightning strikes to occur up to 15 miles in front of an advancing lightning storm. So you can be struck by lightning when the sky above is blue.

Best advice is that if there is a lightning storm anywhere nearby, seek shelter ASAP.