When there is thunder, there is usually lighting. It is fair to state that you should seek shelter if you are out camping during a thunderstorm. While taking protection inside in a structure is the best choice, this isn’t always an option while we’re camping.
It’s advisable to stay inside during a lightning storm in the first place. If you sense a storm coming, check the forecast and consider modifying your plans or returning early. However, if you are caught in a storm, you may reduce and manage danger by following practical lightning safety techniques from the Pa Christian conference center.
If you are camping and are trapped in a thunderstorm, you must know what to do. While it is quite improbable that you will be struck or someone close to you would be hit, it is preferable to know what to do and not to do. You should have checked the weather before leaving, but the weather is unpredictable, and you may not have always had this knowledge before your trip.
Your best bet is to seek refuge in a well-established structure, such as a home, hut, or other structure. However, while camping, it is not always simple to come by. That is why you should read storm camping guidelines from Christian camp Pennsylvania.
The Best Option
A car is the most excellent way to be safe during a thunderstorm. Any completely enclosed vehicle would suffice. Even if the car is hit by lightning, the energy is dissipated as it goes around the exterior of the metal vehicle. In a car or van, you will be safe. Tents are not the ideal place to be during a thunderstorm. Even if the poles are not constructed of metal, the impact of a lightning strike is likely to be felt if you are inside a tent.
High Ground Should Be Avoided.
When camping or trekking away from your car, avoid high terrain at all costs. Standing on top of a mountain during a thunderstorm is a recipe for disaster. Lightning is entirely unexpected, but you are in danger if you are at the highest point. If you can’t reach higher ground, huddle down until the storm passes. This may seem like an extreme strategy, but it is strongly suggested to be exposed to high ranges during a rainstorm.
Avoid trees and anything that adds height on flat land. A ravine or a ditch is an excellent area to wait out a thunderstorm. If you’re in ample open space, you’ll need to lay down and lie flat. Again, this may seem severe, yet lightning often hits the tallest point. You are at the highest point if you walk on flat, open land. If there are many of you, make sure you spread out. The ideal target is a gathering of people standing in a rainstorm on large, open, and level land. You’ll all have to get down.
Wait Until the Rumble Is Finished
After the final rumble, you should wait around 15-30 minutes. If you believe there is little danger of being struck by lightning, Christian camps in Pennsylvania urge you to go through newspapers and news websites. When someone is struck by lightning, it is not a joking thing. Lightning contains between 100 million and one billion volts of power.
Extended Exposure Should Be Avoided
Even in the summer, being wet and chilly promotes hypothermia. Put on your rain gear. Cover yourself with an emergency blanket or tarp to keep the rain off if feasible. Most outdoor educators, including myself, do not suggest that groups huddle under a tarp. If you’re alone and have a tarp put up away from the tallest trees, you could sit under it.
When the storm has passed, it is vital to change out of wet clothes and into dry clothing as soon as possible. Water transmits heat 25 times quicker than air; therefore, you will get very cold very fast if you wear wet clothes.
Put Something between Yourself and the Ground
You want an insulator between you and the ground to prevent step voltage, the most frequent cause of harm. There is considerable disagreement over the insulating efficacy of various things, and none of them are ideal. A closed-cell or inflated sleeping pad, in general, may function as an insulator. To increase the thickness, fold it in half if feasible. Do not lay down; instead, crouch on the pad. Similarly, some outdoor specialists argue that a life jacket may serve as a suitable insulator. More study is required to evaluate the relative efficiency of various tactics, but one thing is sure: put something between yourself and the ground.
Can You Stay In Your Tent During A Storm?
This is perhaps the most often asked question regarding camping in a rainstorm. And everyone wants to know right away whether you should remain in your tent. Unfortunately, the answer is a little more complicated since it depends.
People often answer “No,” citing that the metal poles of a tent attract lightning. This has been proved to be untrue. Whether anything is at a greater danger of being hit by lightning has very little to do with the substance and a lot to do with the height. However, although your tent will shield you from the wind and rain, it will not protect you from lightning. Your tent is just as likely as you are to be struck by lightning.
During A Lightning Storm, Shut Your Car Windows
Keeping your windows slightly ajar during a thunderstorm may be incredibly enticing, especially if you’re in a stuffy car. It is critical to shut all windows and keep them closed during lightning storms for your protection. A vehicle is a faraday cage in which the outside shell carries the electrical current while protecting the inside. It is nevertheless critical not to contact any metal things inside.
When a window is opened, the faraday shell is broken, and an electrical current travels through a crack in the window to the automobile’s interior. Lighting will follow the route of least resistance, which maybe you or your children.