Is it OK to talk on the phone during a thunderstorm?
A bolt of lightning that strikes a telephone line can cause an electrical surge to shoot through the wires and enter a handset. Still, the risk exists, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommends that people avoid using telephones and other appliances during electrical storms.
Can cell phones attract lightning?
“Cell phones, small metal items, jewelry, etc., do not attract lightning. Nothing attracts lightning. Lightning tends to strike taller objects,” said John Jensenius, a NOAA National Weather Service lightning expert. “People are struck because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Why should we avoid the use of mobile phones during thunderstorms?
“Mobile phones have electronic components and their functioning is based on electrical circuits. Hence, if a person uses a cell phone in bad weather, there is a chance of lightning completing its circuit through the phone – with the caller bearing the brunt of the strike,” said Vivek Chhalotre.
Is being on your phone during a storm bad?
Using a landline during a thunderstorm is never safe because of its connection to an outside wire. Lightning can follow the wire to the handset and can injure the person using a landline. If someone is struck by lightning and they have a cell phone on them, it will usually melt or burn.
Can lightning strike you in a house?
Even though your home is a safe shelter during a lightning storm, you may still be at risk. About one-third of lightning-strike injuries occur indoors. Here are some tips to keep safe and reduce your risk of being struck by lightning while indoors.
Is it safe to use WiFi during lightning?
The easiest and most obvious way to keep lightning-induced power surges from frying all your tech is to unplug everything you can before the storm hits. But if your home WiFi network is your only means of connecting to the web, it’s probably a bad idea to turn it off during a storm.
Is it safe to watch TV during a thunderstorm?
“Watching the TV is always OK.” Don’t hold on to a corded phone, however, or an appliance plugged into an outlet, because those pose a risk. If lightning strikes, the current could carry through those appliances, he said.
Is it safe to use WIFI during a thunderstorm?
Storms can occur at any time, and you may not always be prepared. During a storm, you need to avoid contact with any device that is connected to a wall outlet, but it is OK to use wireless devices that are not connected to wall outlets, including cellular and cordless phones, as long as you are inside.
Can you use electronics during a thunderstorm?
Avoid using electronic equipment of all types. Lightning can travel through electrical systems and radio and television reception systems. Avoid using corded phones. Corded phones are NOT safe to use during a thunderstorm.
Can I watch TV during a storm?
It isn’t dangerous to watch TV during a thunderstorm, but the electronics in a TV set are vulnerable. If you have to make a telephone call, use a mobile phone detached from its cable rather than a landline device. Over-voltages resulting from a lightning strike may follow electrical conductors into the handset.
How dangerous is it to use a smart phone during storms?
Corded phones are extremely dangerous during a storm. Home phone lines are protected with surge devices, but these defenses can be overwhelmed should lightning hit a nearby power pole. Someone dies every few years while talking on a phone during a lightning strike.
Can talking on the phone during a thunderstorm electrocute you?
THE CLAIM — Never talk on the telephone during a thunderstorm. THE FACTS — It’s been around so long that few people take it seriously. But the claim that chatting on the phone in a thunderstorm can electrocute you is no urban legend.
Is it safe to use a landline during a thunderstorm?
For example, a man was killed while inside a house in 2017. Investigators came to the conclusion that lightning traveled through exposed steel beams and metal tools before going through his body. Using a landline during a thunderstorm is never safe because of its connection to an outside wire.
What happens when a phone line is struck by lightning?
Home phone lines are protected with surge devices, but these defenses can be overwhelmed should lightning hit a nearby power pole. Someone dies every few years while talking on a phone during a lightning strike.
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