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Home > Severe Weather > WeatherSafe > Thunderstorms > Indoor Lightning Safety Indoor Lightning Safety Severe Weather Safety and Advice From SkyWarn UK For best protection from lightning you need to be inside a house or other substantial building. When assessing how safe a particular structure is, it is more important to focus on what would happen if the structure was to be hit by lightning rather than focusing on whether the structure will get hit. For any shelter to afford a decent level or protection it must provide a means of conducting the electrical current from the point of contact to the ground. The means of doing so may be on the outside of the building, contained within the walls and structure of the building, or indeed a combination of the two.On the outside of the structure lightning can follow metal guttering and downpipes to the ground, while inside a structure lightning may follow wiring, plumbing and telephone lines to the ground. Avoid Unsafe Shelters Unless specifically designed to be lightning safe, a small structure is unlikely to be a safe place during a thunderstorm. Many small shelters, such as those at bus stops, parks, and school playgrounds, are designed to protect from rain and sun, but not from lightning. A shelter that does not contain plumbing or wiring throughout, and has no other means of grounding from the roof to the ground is not safe. Small wooden shelters and sheds are not safe and should be avoided during a thunderstorm. How Lightning enters a House or Building There are three main ways in which lightning may enter a building. These are:
Regardless of how the lightning enters the structure, once inside it can travel through the electrical, phone, plumbing, and telephone systems. Lightning can also travel through metal bars and rods in concrete walls and floors. Stay Safe Inside Lightning can travel for long distances along telephone and power lines. Stay away from windows and doors as these can provide a direct path for a strike in to the home. Do not lie on a concrete floor that may be reinforced with metal rods or mesh, and avoid contact with walls that may be of similiar construction. In general a basement should be a relatively safe environment. Avoid washing machines as these are connected to both power and plumbing. Protect Your Personal Property Lightning not only damages structures, it can cause damage to personal property too. Lightning generates electrical surges that can travel along power lines and cause damage to electrical appliances and systems some distance away from the original strike. Typical surge protectors are unlikely to protect from the high surges associated with a lightning strike. Whenever possible unplug any electrical appliances when a thunderstorm threatens. You should also unplug tv aerials too as a lightning strike to the external aerial can easily travel down the wiring to the outlet. Summary of Lightning Safety Tips for Inside the Home
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