Dealing with Thunderstorms Both Onshore and Offshore

It’s a humid afternoon on a late summer evening. Threatening skies start to pass over, and you’re walking home from town. All of the sudden darker shades of grey start to appear and you hear a rumble of thunder. Most people killed in thunderstorms are either caught outside walking, or in there car. I know you have heard cars are safe in a storm because of the insulation of the tires, but if you are driving in a storm, lightning can blindshot you, or the heavy rain can pull you off the road, and cause an accident. Seriously this is a very major matter, and I have come to write a complete article on how to prevent this.

I am a big fan on thunderstorms. I love to watch them, but when severe weather rolls in, it is pretty scary. Not all thunderstorms are severe, but when they are expect to see one hell of a show. Before lightning strikes keep an eye to the sky. Look for darkening skies, brief flashes of light, or wind increase. If you can hear the sound of thunder you are close enough to get struck. If you do hear thunder, go to a nearby shelter or a car(not moving). Keep the car windows closed. If you can’t find shelter avoid going near any telephone lines or any electrical appliances because they conduct electricity, and if lightning strikes them particularly, you’re in trouble. Avoid talking on the telephone, because lightning can travel through the lines and electrocute you right on the phone. Turn off your air conditioners, since power wattage is very high when AC’s are on, they can cost you a lot of money if they blow out. If wind blows your windows out, make sure the shades are covered so you can avoid any glass or other objects from coming into your home. Again if you are caught outside without shelter, get under a very short tree, and get as low as you can. if you are on water in a boat, etc, find land immediately. When outside and laying low to the ground make sure you place your hands on your knees with your head between them. If you lie straight on the ground, this makes you a bigger target to get struck by lightning. Once the storm passes, avoid any danger areas, such as streets with down power lines, and trees. This means trees are prone to falling, and power lines can cause electrocution.

Thunderstorms can spark up unexpected, and it is important to know when one is approaching. Most of the time there will be a nearby shop, or shelter to go too, but sometimes you’re just not that lucky. I have been caught in thunderstorms before, and it can get pretty nasty. Lightning is not the only thing that can injure you during a thunderstorm. There is always the chance of a tornado spawning up, which can be even worst. The number one killer in a tornado is people driving in there cars, since tornados move very fast, there can sideswipe a car and pick it right off the ground. Hail is another killer, the big kind of course. If you’re stuck in a big hailstorm, you must get under something sturdy, so you don’t get hit in the head. All of this equals a severe thunderstorm, so be careful, and take proper precaution.

Now on to a very dangerous part of thunderstorms. The rain… Rain can be very dangerous whether your on foot, or driving in your car. Rain can cause flooding, and floods are not a pretty sight. In a period of under an hour, flooding can occur. Make sure if you detect flooding, you get to higher ground. Of course if there is lightning, higher ground can be dangerous, but you have to get away from flooding as well, so high enough ground to prevent death from floods is important as well. Just remember to get under a short tree, etc, high enough away from flooding to avoid getting struck, and not drowning. Flood waters are so strong, that they can literally take a car and move it as far as flood waters go. If you live on a mountain, you don’t have to worry about the flood part of storms, but many people do not live high above ground, so there are a lot of victims of flooding. They say flooding is natures biggest killers. Thunderstorms cause flooding, so therefore thunderstorms are very deadly. I guess you can understand why I am writing this article then… Just remember to… Yes! Take proper precautions when tackling a thunderstorm.

Now that we have gone over the major parts of a thunderstorm, we can talk about trying to watch a thunderstorm. Normally you’re not supposed to watch a thunderstorm, which is why I am going to say not too. Windows are very bad to be near when in a thunderstorm. I know of someone who was in the middle of there house and they got struck by lightning because of a line that was above them. See… It doesn’t matter where you are, so anything unexpected can happen. Not only can lightning strike you from a window, but if an object flies through the window, and you are in the path of it, it can cause serious harm to yourself. That is why many people tell you to go into a basement, or center part of the house (hoping there are not lines that lightning can travel through). I would recommend the basement more than anything though. I hope this information helps everyone, and if everyone reads this information, then the injury count will go down dramatically. I promise you that!