How to behave in a thunderstorm. Safety regulations

The weather forecast does not always allow you to navigate if you have a multi-day hike ahead. The reports take into account current information and measurements, but after 2-3 days and when crossing regional borders, the company itself can go towards the front. And then a thunderstorm cannot be avoided. There are several factors by which it is highly likely that a front is approaching:

dark clouds in the form of towers are approaching;
the air becomes stuffy;
humidity rises sharply - this is noticeable by the long dew on the grass;
electrification increases - hair sparkles;
blood pressure decreases – noticeable for hypertensive patients;
Birds and insects become unusually active.

Folk signs of imminent bad weather: frogs on ponds stage loud “concerts”, forest flowers begin to smell intensely, dandelions close, the sunset is red with increased wind.

Basic safety rules

In the steppe or meadows, in the taiga or near a mountain river, while climbing to the peaks, the probability of being caught in bad weather is the same as in the city, but you should prepare more seriously.

Since lightning strikes pose the greatest danger during a thunderstorm, it is worth considering their “favorite” natural sites:

lonely trees- most often take a lightning strike, and the breed matters :
— oaks – 55% hits;
— poplars – 23%;
– spruce – 10%;
- birch, beech, linden - 1-3%.
items, which can attract discharge:
- wet clothes;
- moped, motorcycle or bicycle;
— umbrella on an iron frame;
- mobile phone;
- tools;
- keys or jewelry;
- any metal products: ribs of tents, wires for drying clothes, dishes and other camping equipment.

With such knowledge they set up a bivouac:

away from bodies of water at a minimum distance of 100 m (it extinguishes the water discharge);
away from oak or pine giants - at least 4-5 m.

When it is obvious that the elements cannot be avoided, standard norms of behavior are required in any natural conditions:

empty your pockets of metal items and wear clothes with plastic fasteners and fittings - in a rarefied atmosphere, even non-conductors or the smallest parts can attract concentrated energy;
do not go into empty spaces in a field, meadow or clearing - the beam finds the highest point for discharge, and here the person himself becomes a noticeable peak;
do not get close to bodies of water or even containers with liquid - electrolytes organically receive heavenly “irritation” and transmit it further: to people, if they are nearby;
limit conversations on the phone or radio - magnetic waves are of the same nature as thunderstorm current, and like is drawn to like.

Video on safety rules during a thunderstorm from employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Belarus

Rules of behavior in the forest, near a pond, in a field, in the mountains, in a car and in a building

Forest

Sitting in a tent in bad weather is comfortable, but unsafe. Tents are sewn using metal structures, wire threads are also attached to securing twines: all this adds risk. Therefore, it is best to put on a waterproof raincoat and rubber boots, get rid of the metal on your body, and go outside. Put out the fire - smoke is also a conductor.

In the taiga, every tree is a lightning rod: if lightning strikes, it rarely strikes the soil. Therefore, the denser and higher the thicket, the riskier it is to wait out a rainstorm with constant charges there. The most optimal place would be to sit under the lush crowns of young trees or in a low bush.

“Signs of distress: you should not even approach trunks split by previous thunderstorms. Such a direct hit means that the earth is saturated with water, and naturally attracts multimillion-dollar electrical power.”

Field

When thunder is already thundering over a spacious field, you cannot hide near seemingly strong pine trees or birch trees. Even small groves near plowing, without exaggeration, threaten life, being excellent conductors of electricity. If you had to stop on such an island, there should be at least 5 meters between the trunks.

If there is no gatehouse or other room with a roof nearby, a ravine or dry ditch will be a good shelter. In order not to become a high target on an empty plain, it is better for a person to take the lowest possible position: bend his back, lower his head to his knees and wait out the elements in the field. Lying on the ground, especially clayey soil, is also fraught with electric shock.

Water

During a lightning storm, it is better to stay away from the water. Hurry on the boat to the shore. If it is impossible to get to land quickly and when crossing in the rain, you can protect yourself:

bail water out of a vessel;
change into dry clothes;
place rubber boots underneath as insulation;
cover yourself with an awning without touching the edges of the water surface;
row to the shore, and not towards the nearest reed thickets.

Mountains

Mountain ranges most often contain metals and are good at transmitting electrical charges. And gorges and drains accumulate precipitation instantly: such crevices are avoided while a hurricane is raging and thunder is heard. In the mountains they hide in cave cavities and near rock pillars. In this case, you must be located no closer than 2 m from the stone, even in caves, and choose protective plumbs according to the principle - their height should be 5-6 times the height of the tourist. If a thunderstorm finds you on a mountain ridge and there is no shelter nearby, then it is advisable to descend 50-100 meters from it, sit on a foam mat (it is an excellent insulator), and throw a raincoat on top.

Automobile

Contrary to popular belief, a car is a reliable shelter during thunderstorms. It is enough to close the windows and doors tightly, stop in a quiet place, turn off electrical appliances and wait until the rumbles cease and the clouds saturated with electricity pass on.

While it's raining, it's dangerous to touch metal doors in a car or talk on the phone. Even if lightning strikes a vehicle, it will become a lightning rod: the discharge will pass over the body and settle in the soil through wet wheels.

Building

In active tours, vacationers are accommodated not only in tents, but also in residential houses, and in the deep taiga - in log lodges. The safety measures here are the same as in urban settings: close windows and doors, turn off the stove, turn off the electricity if there is any, try to do without communication.

Safe behavior during ball lightning

It appears spontaneously, can increase in size and move chaotically, and heats up to 5000 degrees. There are about 400 versions of where such a clot of energy comes from and how it works, but scientists have not yet been able to prove the reliability of a single assumption. Therefore, experienced instructors advise:

keep calm;
do not throw anything into the ball;
If possible, quietly leave the room or area;
control breathing: air currents provoke the movement of the ball;
preventively: remove all drafts and electrolytes.

First aid

While on a hike or a walk in nature and not being able to take the victim to the hospital, it is necessary to provide first aid:

the patient is placed on his back (if unconscious);
turn the head to the side so that the tongue does not interfere with breathing;
wound surfaces are cleaned and covered with clean bandages;
give an analgesic;
If necessary and skillful, perform a heart massage until the doctors arrive or the heart rhythm is restored.

The details of providing first aid to a lightning strike victim are described...

Do not forget! Lightning most often strikes protruding parts of the body or those in contact with liquid and metal parts:

in the hand when a person is talking on a mobile phone;
in the leg if the foot falls into the water;
to the side, since you forgot a bunch of keys in your pocket;
into the head leaning against the wet maple.

whether the victim is in the making;
visible wounds and burns;
internal damage.

Terrible character. How to calculate its approximation

A thunderstorm occurs when atmospheric currents collide: that is why it most often moves towards the wind. The direction is determined by the difference in the electrical charges of clouds: cumulus and stratus clouds upon collision create a voltage from 2 to 100 million volts. Such power is akin to the operation of a power plant that provides light to an entire city throughout the year!

The discharge of a celestial strike is visible as lightning up to 2.5 km high and is accompanied by thunder of up to 120 decibels. In flat areas, thunderstorms are noticeable at a distance of up to 20 km at any time of the day. If you are careful, there will be enough time to take the necessary measures. Taking into account the average speed of sound of 330 m/s, we note the time when the rumble is heard after the discharge:

1 second = 300-400 m;
2 seconds = 600-700 m;
3 seconds = 1 km.

Sound speed depends on the microclimate: the warmer the air, the faster the signal travels. When lightning is visible but no roar is heard, the front is still far away - at least 20 km away. It can also pass by: watch the dynamics of sounds after the flashes - if they are louder, the clouds are approaching.

A thunderstorm is always accompanied by increased wind up to hurricane gusts and, most often, rain: even the so-called “dry” ones bring at least short-term drizzling precipitation. Thunderstorms are rarely prolonged - after a lightning strike, the accumulated avalanche falls from the sky immediately, and can cause significant damage through flooding, landslides and road erosion.

Impact force. Statistics

The instantaneous nature of the discharge has become a household word - at a speed of 100 thousand km/h, a shining beam pierces the sky, leaving a trail from 2.5 km to 15 km. In the USA, the most impressive length of the thunderstorm “arrow” was recorded - more than 300 km. Long-term monitoring of the planet's weather forecasters gives the following figures:

40,000 thunderstorms occur on earth annually;
120 lightning strikes per second;
every 4th discharge hits the ground, the rest - into the clouds.

According to various sources, up to 250 thousand inhabitants of the planet take the brunt of the elements every year, the majority receive injuries and burns, some are completely frightened, but from 6 to 25 thousand people die from the excessive force of the discharge.

The most dangerous thunderstorm regions are considered to be the African Republic of the Congo - and especially the province of Kifuka - 160 “electric shows” annually, as well as Venezuela, Brazil, Singapore and the American state of Florida.

In natural conditions, a thunderstorm front is especially destructive.

A lightning strike is dangerous for people primarily due to its unpredictability and the force of the electric shock.
An emergency will require urgent medical care in any case, and the nearest clinic still has to be reached with a patient in need of resuscitation. Unfortunately, not all tourists know how to properly massage the heart and treat burn patients.
Natural shelters in the form of trees and rocks not only attract lightning, but also pose an additional threat due to their destruction with the scattering of fragments after a charge hits.
A person outside the walls himself becomes a guide: the risks increase significantly while walking in the field or near bodies of water.
There are no lightning rods - they are not 100%, but they significantly reduce the risk of a person being attracted by a powerful charge.
The consequences of a thunderstorm are no less aggressive: a flooded camp and ammunition with a first aid kit will prevent timely provision of first aid, and a road littered with tree trunks makes it difficult for rescuers or doctors to quickly access.

Ball lightning

The clot of energy has an indefinite size - from 2-3 cm to several meters in diameter. A luminous body appears as if out of nowhere and hangs in the air for a few seconds or a couple of minutes. Destruction can be similar to a medium-power explosion: destroy everything at the epicenter or cause a pinpoint burn of maximum strength.

About ball lightning. Stories of people and animals meeting her.

Cases of encounters with ball lightning

The movement of the ball discharge and the outcome of the meeting strongly depend on human behavior:

Leningrad region, summer 2016: a couple of tourists of retirement age were returning on foot from a country walk. The day was hot, and in the evening it became especially stuffy. We walked along a familiar country road along small groves. As a participant in this hike notes in his memoirs, long before dusk the herbs began to lose their unprecedented aroma, grasshoppers began to crackle, and midges began to swarm right through clothes.

Somewhere in the distance thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. And then a luminous ball appeared to the right of the travelers at a height of about 4 meters. At first the size of a hand ball, it quickly grew and reached half a meter, still moving rapidly along the side of the road. The tourists were experienced: they stood calmly and hardly breathed. The space charge moved forward to some dark spot and exploded. When people approached the scene of the explosion, they saw a bicycle with a destroyed steering wheel, and 10 steps away - the unharmed owner of the transport, a frightened teenage girl.

Everyone was lucky in this story. But this does not always happen - every third such collision costs a person his life or health:

Tyumen region, 2015: a group of friends went on vacation to one of the forest lakes. For several weeks in a row, the region experienced unprecedented heat, and the coolness of the reservoir became the best place for camp. While the young people were setting up tents, the girls put on swimsuits and settled down to sunbathe right on the shore.

No one noticed the approaching thunderstorm: a stuffy atmosphere, a light breeze from the water. The sound of thunder was heard getting closer, but was perceived only as a long-awaited relief after the hot days. The rain had not yet started pouring when a shiny silver ball the size of an apple hung directly above the water. The girls perked up, and this became a fatal mistake: the clot rushed towards the one who dipped her legs into the lake and burned them, and then flew onto her neighbor’s back and broke her spine in an explosion.

Forethought is the most effective way to protect yourself and your loved ones during outdoor activities. The rules are easy and understandable for even children to follow, so that a thunderstorm does not become a threat, but just another pleasant adventure in nature.

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