Is it dangerous to stand near windows in a thunderstorm

[SharkSip]

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.

in our culture, uncle( maternal side) and nephew must not be in the same room during lightning.

My ex mother in law used to have to hide under the stairs when she was a kid. She's still petrified of storms, to the point where we had to stay at hers when the weather men said thunderstorms were on the way.
The only time I don't like them, is if I'm in a tent. Our tent had 2 aluminium poles and a fly sheet, in my humble opinion 2 layers if cloth was not sufficient protection. My dad did tell me that the lightning would go down the pokes. Strangely it didn't help.

@SerendipityJane what does soil being struck have to do with glass windows being struck

A friend of mine was struck by lightning in her bathroom when showering with the window open in an electrical storm in Sweden. I was amazed.

I think if some posters actually Googled staying safe in a storm they would be quite surprised.

I think if some posters actually Googled staying safe in a storm they would be quite surprised

fuck me you’re right. I don’t EVER want to see THAT again. I’m pretty unshakeable but that has shocked me. I feel all weird

@SharkSip If she's always told you to stay away from windows during a thunderstorm and is now cleaning the windows during one, yes I think recording her about-face in terms of beliefs/behaviour might help diagnose dementia, if she has it.

Of course she might have just relaxed a bit!

I always grit my teeth when I see this! 😄

I was just about to say “Only if it’s Windows 95”!

Yes, a few years ago when I lived in Queensland I was looking out the window 😱 at a massive storm and saw a bolt hit a fence post a few metres away. It was far from being the tallest thing around - roofs, satellite dishes, antennas, trees, cars were all there.

We were always told to stay away from windows- dh and his family would watch out the window. Last night we had storms and he told everyone to move back from the windows. I was shocked but relieved as I thought we were going to have a right thing to do kind of talk which I didn’t want to as I have no idea of the science of it- I just don’t want to take any chances! (Irish and catholic btw, can someone answer why people keep commenting on ‘is she Irish and is she catholic?!’)

I dont know but assumed it was maybe because their beliefs areny always the most science based.

I’ve only ever known catholics have holy water in the house and use it in such ways. I c of e for example holy water is only used for christening.