Hello
I found your message board when searching for an answer to a question I have regarding camping and lighting. We were camping and hit by 2 bad storms. The only shelter we could find was our tent, our car, picnic shelter with a metal roof or a comfort station bathroom. We choose the bathroom but since reading on the web it seems no place was safe, as being in the bathroom apparently means your near pipes etc… Im told your car is safe but dont touch anything metal. Isnt your floor metal your feet are on or the springs in your chair etc… I dont mean to be sounding stupid but with us going again shortly im a little unsure of what is the safest thing to do now.
Thank you.
Inside your car is pretty safe, assuming it’s a fully enclosed metal vehicle. Convertibles or cars with significant fiberglass or plastic surfaces are probably not as good. The enclosed cage of your car offers most of the protection.
http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/vehicle_strike.html
http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/outdoors.htm
If the buildings were large they would be more safe. Metal pipes going into the ground are not a huge threat to you.
You are way to paranoid. Lighten up, if its your time don’t fight it.
But seriously, we need to know where the safest place to be is.
A friend of mine was found dead 35+ years ago. He was in his tent when struck. The old ones had metal poles. I would not use that kind of tent today.
Then, Lightning hit people that live are suppose to be smarter for it??? :dubious:
It doesn’t matter whether your tent has metal poles or not. What matters is whether your tent’s location makes it stand out when the opposing electrical charges that precipitate a lightning strike converge at your tent.
In your case, your car was your safest bet.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but a car is a good bet because it forms a Faraday cage of sorts, and not because the tires insulate it from the ground? Even insulators have a threshold at which electricity will pass through them, which is what happens to air during a lightning strike.
That’s correct, which is why the links specifically talk about convertibles and cars without full metal cages.
Exactly. After all, if there is enough electric potential difference for a lightning bolt to pass through miles of air, what difference does a few inches of rubber make?
Somewhat related, this is also why the power companies don’t bother to insulate the high-voltage lines you see going cross-country. They are just bare wires.
In addition, tires are made with carbon black, which conducts electricity well.
Actually, the danger in a tent is not just from lightning, but more so from falling tree limbs. I know of several campers who have been injured (bruises, scrapes) when a storm caused tree branches to fall on them while they slept. Rude awakening!
ETA cite: tree limbs crush campers
So your all saying the car is safest then?
what about the floor being metal your feet are on etc…?
The bathrooms were in a building that had about 6 doors on both sides.5 showers and then the famous bathroom that i seemed to enjoy spending the nights in.
I forgot to mention im in a toyota yaris, I assume its not all metal but I dont know.
The metal floor would be an issue if you’re worried about, say, touching a live electric wire. For lightning, your feet on metal or not really won’t make much difference. More important is the protection the metal roof of the car gives you. Even in my convertible, there’s a metal frame, so I get some protection with the roof up (but not as good as a full metal roof, and even that’s no guarantee).
Doesn’t really matter as the frame of the car forms a Faraday Cage around you. Current will flow around the outside of the cage, even touching the metal doesn’t give the electricity any path to flow through you. It’s going to run around the outside of the car protecting everything inside.
And yes, your Yaris is enough metal to act as a Faraday cage.
What happens to the charge which flows around the body ? How does it get dissipated ? Into the air ?
Into the ground; just like a lightning strike anywhere else.
Hey I woke up a zombie !
If you click on that link I gave, you can see the lightning going from the front tire into the ground.