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Original poster

Is it dangerous to stand near windows in a thunderstorm

88 replies

SharkSip · 17/06/2023 16:13

I was always told when I was small to stay away from Windows when there was thunder and lightening. Also to unplug devices.

Currently going through a thunder storm. I am at home with my mother. She usually gets a fright and starts shaking a bottle of holy water around the home and blessing the home with it.

The thunder storm was well and truly underway and I was wondering where she was and she was in the sitting room spraying the windows with windowlean and wiping them down and I asked her what she was doing and she was saying she was bored and she has to be doing something.

I think she might have the onset of dementia but it's behavioural issues and this could be another one.

Is it dangerous to stand near windows and should I catch this on camera and document it to show a doctor in the hope it helps me with a diagnosis. If not now but later on down the line. There's stuff that's happening that's now quite right.

OP posts:
DrGoogleMD · 17/06/2023 17:31

A woman in Ireland got hit by lightening putting a spoon in her sink the other day.

Catbumps · 17/06/2023 17:32

A woman in Ireland got hit by lightening putting a spoon in her sink the other day

course she did

Catchasingmewithspiders · 17/06/2023 17:32

I was brought up to think that you shouldnt stand near a window in a thunderstorm. I still feel slightly uneasy doing it as an adult because my child part of my brain is convinced I'm going to get struck by lightning

DobbyTheHouseElk · 17/06/2023 17:34

My folks always pulled the phone out of the socket and the tv Ariel out at the first sign of a storm. Made me petrified of storms. Think we aren’t allowed to use any electricity either. I’m a 70’s child, was there some sort of fear about storms in those days?

Dogsitterwoes · 17/06/2023 17:35

The met office has guidance on staying safe in storms. Nothing about windows although they do say stay away from metal objects, so if you had aluminium frames that might be a point. Your Mum sounds generally odd/superstitious about storms in the past, it's good that she no longer is. I'm sorry you have other concerns about her though, dementia is very cruel. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/seasonal-advice/health-wellbeing/stay-safe-in-thunder-and-lightning#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20caught%20out,and%20on%20to%20the%20ground.

Stay safe in thunder and lightning

Learn how to protect yourself in a thunderstorm.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/seasonal-advice/health-wellbeing/stay-safe-in-thunder-and-lightning#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20caught%20out,and%20on%20to%20the%20ground.

knittingaddict · 17/06/2023 17:37

I had a friend who was Catholic. She would aways feed leftover bread to the ducks and said that she couldn't throw bread away because of bread being sacred.

Not Catholic myself, but pretty sure that's only true of bread used in Communion. Would love to know what other Catholics make of that since we are on the subject of Catholic practices.

BettySundaes · 17/06/2023 17:38

When I was a kid our TV blew a fuse in a thunderstorm while we were watching afternoon kids shows, my dad blew a fuse too at having to pay the repairman to come out and fix it. We always had to turn it off after if there was a storm.

Catbumps · 17/06/2023 17:38

@DrGoogleMD that an article where a woman on her own SAYS she was struck by lightning. No-one witnessed it, she saw doctors and they said she had no injuries. Reading to the end her friend up the road also strangely got struck by lightning and it ruined an Xbox and stuff which they had to claim on insurance……

QuintanaRoo · 17/06/2023 17:41

DrGoogleMD · 17/06/2023 17:34

Show quote history

This bit made me laugh

“Just as I left down the phone, my daughter arrived from Dublin and came in and she goes ‘Oh mammy!’ and I said, I’m after being struck”.

obviously I’m glad she’s ok, it’s just the “I’m after being struck”. 😃

DrGoogleMD · 17/06/2023 17:45

Catbumps · 17/06/2023 17:38

@DrGoogleMD that an article where a woman on her own SAYS she was struck by lightning. No-one witnessed it, she saw doctors and they said she had no injuries. Reading to the end her friend up the road also strangely got struck by lightning and it ruined an Xbox and stuff which they had to claim on insurance……

She had some minor burns. I can't comment on the friend, you must have read a different article than me, the one I linked to doesn't mention anything about a friend or an xbox.

mayorofcasterbridge · 17/06/2023 17:47

My mother (not Irish Catholic) put the literal fear of God in us kids with her 'precautions' in thunderstorms! She covered all the mirrors with towels, turned off and unplugged the TV and the phone. She would play the tape recorder (jesus I'm old) to drown out the sound of the thunder and the curtains were closed so we couldn't see the lightning.

And then most unaccountably, she would go out and have a dance in the back yard to show us there was nothing to be afraid of?? FFS, no wonder I'm still petrified!

Our elderly neighbours opened all the doors and windows because they reckoned if lightning got in, it had to get out again!!

DrGoogleMD · 17/06/2023 17:47

QuintanaRoo · 17/06/2023 17:41

This bit made me laugh

“Just as I left down the phone, my daughter arrived from Dublin and came in and she goes ‘Oh mammy!’ and I said, I’m after being struck”.

obviously I’m glad she’s ok, it’s just the “I’m after being struck”. 😃

Show quote history

Haha, I was just laughing about that with dh when I linked it, it is just the most Irish thing!

SisterAgatha · 17/06/2023 17:50

My grandparents roof fell in after the tree in the garden was struck by lightening and the charge went through the washing line (back in the day when it was a wire covered in plastic) so we were told to stay away from windows too.

I thought it hit the tallest thing in the vicinity which is why tall buildings have lighting defusers on the roof?

Dogsitterwoes · 17/06/2023 17:53

If you read the Met office link I posted, they say it's a myth that it hits the tallest thing. I'd always believed that too.

Tessisme · 17/06/2023 19:36

mayorofcasterbridge · 17/06/2023 17:47

My mother (not Irish Catholic) put the literal fear of God in us kids with her 'precautions' in thunderstorms! She covered all the mirrors with towels, turned off and unplugged the TV and the phone. She would play the tape recorder (jesus I'm old) to drown out the sound of the thunder and the curtains were closed so we couldn't see the lightning.

And then most unaccountably, she would go out and have a dance in the back yard to show us there was nothing to be afraid of?? FFS, no wonder I'm still petrified!

Our elderly neighbours opened all the doors and windows because they reckoned if lightning got in, it had to get out again!!

Oh my God, that's so funny! Your mum sounds fab.

Pixiedust1234 · 17/06/2023 19:53

I was told to stay away from windows too. TV was unplugged and you couldn't use the phone. Wasn't allowed to touch anything metal, eg cutlery or metal tray etc.

To be fair we were a little in awe of lightning as we used to get horrendous static /lights when we took off our Damart vests on a winter's evening. They used to give off a real light show 😂

sadieshavingashindig · 17/06/2023 19:56

LaBefana · 17/06/2023 16:23

This recent thundery weather has brought out a rash of people writing 'lightening' when they mean 'lightning'. Just waiting for someone to come up with 'it was thundering and lightening' as I heard someone say on a bus the other day.

My other favourite - seen a lot on twitter - is variations of "can't believe it's thunder and lightning, it's supposed to be summer FFS"

TheHennaHairedHarridan · 17/06/2023 20:02

I remember being told not to use the bathroom in a thunderstorm, I have no idea why. I always assumed this was nonsense on a level with going out with wet hair giving you a cold, etc.

peucepetunias · 17/06/2023 20:04

Q "Is it dangerous to stand near windows in a thunderstorm"
A Only if they have metal frames !

nealjacob53 · 17/06/2023 20:13

my mum also closed all the curtains and made us come away from the windows. My motherinlaw used to hide under the table! HAHA

RedRiverSun · 17/06/2023 20:27

The reason you're told to stay away from windows is because if one is struck it will send shards of glass flying at high speed.

Piscesmumma1978 · 17/06/2023 20:36

My gran always turned the TV off. I still do it.

I go downstairs is it's right over us. That makes me feel safer!

Catbumps · 17/06/2023 20:37

The reason you're told to stay away from windows is because if one is struck it will send shards of glass flying at high speed

lightning g can’t strike glass because it’s er, glass not metal

@Dogsitterwoes its hits the tallest conductive thing it can find, ie the easiest

Dodie66 · 17/06/2023 21:02

Definitely unplug the TV and aerial lead.
our house got struck by lightning a few years ago
travelled down the aerial into the loft and then got into the electric cables then down the cables to some appliances. Burnt out a computer keyboard and a HiFi. Left a big burn mark on the desk and burnt some of the electrical cables in the loft. Saw a big flash come out of the aerial lead in the lounge Had to get the fire brigade out to check everything
also travelled down into the neighbours house and set fire to her curtains
i do still. Enjoy watching storms and stand by the window, had a humdinger recently which made me and my daughter jump. She loves watching them and taking photos

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