It turns out that these are not grandmother’s tales, but a well-founded warning.
Are you afraid of thunderstorms? Perhaps now, only cats are afraid of thunder and lightning. Modern people have not seen any mysticism in the weather phenomenon for a long time. However, you should not underestimate the danger of a thunderstorm either. Even if you wait out the bad weather in your own home, you can still get hurt.
John Jensenius, safety specialist at the US National Weather Service, warns that during a thunderstorm, stay away from electrical appliances and anything related to the water supply system. That is, washing dishes, showering, bathing should be postponed until better weather. And in general, you do not need to touch the water taps.
“When lightning strikes a home, it travels through the electrical wiring or water system. All pipes are energized, ”explains the specialist.
And you yourself probably noticed that batteries are sometimes electrocuted? This means that the home’s utilities are poorly grounded. Moreover, lightning does not have to hit directly into the house. If it strikes within a radius of one and a half (!) Kilometers, where the main communication nodes are located or just pipes connected to your house pass, that will be enough. You can use plumbing and electrical appliances only half an hour after the thunderstorm has thundered off.
Other things not to do at home during a thunderstorm:
– speak on the phone – both regular and cellular;
– stand at an open window or doors;
– use a gas stove;
– to heat the stove or fireplace – the smoke has a high electrical conductivity;
– to arrange a draft – this increases the likelihood of ball lightning.
How to behave on the street
If you are in a car, it is best to turn off the engine and wait out the storm on the side of the road. As long as you are inside, you are not in danger. If you prefer a bicycle or motorcycle, then you are already at risk. These vehicles are very dangerous in a thunderstorm, so it is better to get off and hide somewhere further away from them, at least 30 meters away.
It is also impossible to use an umbrella with metal needles in a thunderstorm. It turns out that you are carrying a lightning rod in your hands. Talking on a cell phone is not worth it. And it is worth turning it off altogether away from sin.
It is better to hide from thunderstorms indoors. A bus stop is poor protection. Especially if the pavilion is metal. It is impossible to wait out the bad weather under tall trees: the higher the tree, the more likely it is that lightning will hit it.