Some people are terrified of thunderstorms. Other people love them. But whatever group you happen to fall into, it is common sense to know to keep yourself safe whenever you happen to be in the middle of one.
This is applicable even if you happen to be staying at home during the storm. It is unlikely that your house would be struck by lightning even if the storm was right overhead, but of course it could happen. This is why you should stay away from your corded telephone if you own one, while the storm is going on.
There is a very good reason for this. For starters a lightning bolt will hit the closest thing it can find as it comes down to earth. If this happens to be your phone line, the electricity will come down the line and out whatever happens to be on the other end – in this case your phone. Now just imagine what could happen if you were making a telephone call at the time.
If you were using a cordless phone there wouldn’t be a danger. But using corded phones definitely could be dangerous if there is a lightning storm nearby. If you are on the phone and you hear a storm brewing, make sure you hang up and leave it well alone until the storm has passed. Most storms don’t last that long at all, so you should be able to continue your conversation before too long.
Of course it is handy to know you have a corded phone because if you should find your power is cut out as a result of a lightning strike nearby, you can call for help as soon as it is safe to alert the proper authorities to the problem. So having a corded phone can be a real boon in this situation.
As always it all comes down to common sense. Some people have been caught out and received a nasty shock while using a corded phone during a thunderstorm.
We should point out though that the likelihood of this happening is still very low. Apparently an often quoted statistic has it that one person is unlucky enough every year to lose their life as a result of making a phone call on a landline while a thunderstorm is going on.
It’s always worth taking precautions though – even if that means you have to forego your conversation until the storm has passed.