Thunderstorms can be dangerous due to strong winds, hail, and heavy rain. But you should also always pay attention to lightning: a strike can be fatal. A new scientific study has discovered how you can dramatically increase your chances of survival when struck by lightning. Rain plays a crucial role in this.
Although the chance of a lightning strike is small, people are struck by lightning every year in our country. When lightning strikes you, more than 200 kiloamperes of electricity flow through your body. This usually leads to cardiac arrest. That’s why it’s always important to find a safe place during thunderstorms. Are you surprised and can’t hide? Then rain could be your salvation, according to one New study.
Researchers at the Technical University of Ilmenau (Germany) investigated whether rainwater on your scalp can protect you from the impact of a lightning strike. To do this, they built 3D “human heads.” The heads consist of three different layers, simulating the scalp, skull and brain. For this purpose they used sodium chloride, water, graphite and agarose, among other things, because these substances have properties very similar to human tissue.
For the comparative experiment, one head was exposed to electrical discharges in a dry condition, while another head was first sprayed with water. The results were clear. The damage was much less on the wet head than on the dry head. In addition, the researchers found that much less current passed through the wet head. The energy entering the brain cavity was 32.5% less in the wet head than in the dry head, putting much less pressure on the brain.
This reduction in the brain’s exposure to the current, combined with fewer physical injuries, greatly increases an afflicted person’s chances of surviving a direct lightning strike to the head by 70 to 90 percent, the researchers said.
Of course, the advice is to always seek safe shelter during thunderstorms. If this is not possible, it is best to squat down and form a small ball with your feet close together. If you are struck by lightning, you will quickly be diverted to the ground.
Watch also. Lightning almost strikes the unsuspecting woman
Read also:
“Don’t think you’re safe because it hasn’t rained yet”: What types of thunderstorms are there and what you should and shouldn’t do during a thunderstorm? (+)
Hail the size of tennis balls in Italy: How dangerous is hail and can it happen to us too? “Some hail balls reach speeds of up to 100 km/h” (+)
Scientists see a noticeable increase in large hailstones in Europe: “This region is a hotspot for strong thunderstorms and brutal hail” (+)
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