Since lightning can jump through doors and windows it's important to avoid those areas. It's also imperative that you stay away from concrete floors (like in your basement for example) since lightning can travel through the ground.
Glass is a good insulator, so it is very unlikely that a window pane would ever be struck directly. But a lightning strike on the roof of a house will travel down through the building through the most conductive route available.
Storm lightning is so fast that even if it were to hit a window, the window would shatter from the heat and speed. Also glass is not a conductor so being struck by lightning through the window would take the glass being shattered first and then you could be struck by lightning but this would require two strikes.
Even though your home is a safe shelter during a lightning storm, you might still be at risk. About one-third of lightning-strike injuries occur indoors.
“Open windows do not increase the chance of lightning striking a house; however, leaving them open does allow lightning to more easily strike an object inside the house,” said WOI meteorologist Dave Downey.
Stay off corded phones, computers and other electrical equipment that put you in direct contact with electricity. Avoid plumbing, including sinks, baths and faucets. Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches. Do not lie on concrete floors, and do not lean against concrete walls.
According to the NWS, a person has a 1-in-15,300 chance of getting struck by lightning in their lifetime.
The safest location during a thunderstorm is inside a large enclosed structure with plumbing and electrical wiring. These include shopping centers, schools, office buildings, and private residences.
Once in a structure, lightning can travel through the electrical, phone, plumbing, and radio/television reception systems. Lightning can also travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring..
In a lightning storm, avoid water, high and open ground, metal spaces, canopies, picnic or rain shelters, trees, and electrical/electronic equipment. If you are in a structure that has curtains or blinds over windows, close them to prevent glass shards from flying into the structure from a broken window.
Is it safe to take a shower or bath during a thunderstorm? No. Lightning can travel through plumbing. It is best to avoid all water during a thunderstorm.
Whether inside or outside, anyone in contact with anything connected to metal wires, plumbing, or metal surfaces that extend outside is at risk. This includes anything that plugs into an electrical outlet, water faucets and showers, corded phones, and windows and doors.
It can puncture a roof, sear the surrounding materials, and tear through attics. A powerful enough strike can tear off shingles and gutters, leaving the roof a disaster. Fire is another serious concern, says ABC KGUN9 News. Lightning doesn't just travel, it can ignite anything that it touches.
At first, there is a sharp boundary between the initial shock wave and the air in front of it, which gives the startling boom of thunder. If you are close enough to experience that boundary, your house will certainly shake.
No place outside is safe when a thunderstorm is in the area. Get inside as soon as you hear thunder. Run to a substantial building or hard-topped metal vehicle as fast as you can.
What are the chances of getting struck by lightning? So in pure statistics, the odds of any particular person getting struck by lightning are relatively low – around 100 people in Australia are injured by lightning each year, making your odds about 4 in a million.
When You See Lightning, Count The Time Until You Hear Thunder. If That Is 30 Seconds Or Less, The Thunderstorm Is Close Enough To Be Dangerous – Seek Shelter (if you can't see the lightning, just hearing the thunder is a good back-up rule). Wait 30 Minutes Or More After The Lightning Flash Before Leaving Shelter.
Some burns can look like Lichtenberg figures, or lines. Lichtenberg lines are long, intricate, wavy burns that can appear on someone temporarily after receiving a massive electric shock. "They don't really stick around. They're these fernlike, superficial burns of the skin," said Claypool.
The odds that one will be struck by lightning in the U.S. during one's lifetime are 1 in 15,300. On average, 270 people in the U.S. are struck per year, and only about 10 percent of that number die from the event. Around the world, approximately 2,000 people are struck by lightning every year.
Myth: If you are in a house, you are 100% safe from lightning. Fact: A house is a safe place to be during a thunderstorm as long as you avoid anything that conducts electricity. This means staying off corded phones, electrical appliances, wires, TV cables, computers, plumbing, metal doors and windows.
If your home has been directly hit by lightning, first call the fire department to have them check everything out. Lightning could strike anywhere on the home, which could lead to fire but will most likely cause surge damage.
Lightning doesn't strike the ocean as much as land, but when it does,it spreads out over the water, which acts as a conductor. It can hit boats that are nearby, and electrocute fish that are near the surface. If you're at the beach and hear thunder or see lightning, get out of the water.