I found this bit at the start surprising: "Lightning is one of the leading causes of climate-related deaths worldwide. In recent decades, there has been a considerable increase in lightning due to worsening global warming [1], [2]."
Increased lightning makes sense, but I'd still have expected most climate-related deaths to be caused by flooding, heat waves, disease & crop failures, with lightning being a much smaller factor. Do they just mean it's in the top 5 or 10 climate-driven causes, or is lightning really killing people on the same (or greater) scale as these other things?
Living in storm prone regions for most of my life has given me the same habit. All my sensitive electronics get unplugged when storms approach.
Two of my family members have had devices fried by lightning strikes over the years, and not even in regions known for the worst electrical storms.
I keep some portable battery packs handy in case I need to charge a phone, and if I'm working will switch to my laptop and tablet screens.
Of course, one can't conveniently unplug everything (HVAC, big kitchen appliances, etc.) but it's easy enough to safeguard work and lifestyle electronics.
Turning the TV off and listening to the storm is usually a nice change of pace, too.
Its funny what you can get used to. We had so many storms and general bad weather events growing up, that I don't really give them any thought. Certainly didn't back then.
Out in Seattle, though, if there is a single crack of thunder, everyone is at the windows trying to see what happened. It is almost comical on how this place never really gets a storm.
Does make me somewhat at odds with the crowds that hate firework noise, "because it scares pets." I'm in agreement that it is just obnoxious and I don't miss it. I'm pretty sure thunder was far more frightening for any pets I had, growing up.
All that is to say, probably wise advice on unplugging things. I know that quality of power has gotten a lot more relevant in recent years, such that you should only be worried about very local events. Still, seems safe enough not to take a risk, if you can avoid it.
30 years of Midwest thunderstorms i never lost a single device to a thunderstorm but i moved to Chicago and now I've lost maybe like, 3 chargers and a VCR that got got in a storm last year.
Sadly I've still been too lazy to upgrade my surge protectors lol
I do the same thing. The 20-30 minutes it takes for a major storm to roll through is not worth the time/hassle/money of getting fried electronics replaced. Surge protector or not, I just unplug them. Since most of my equipment is connected to some sort of device with on/off switch, it reduces the number of plugs that need to be disconnected to 3. I feel like a surge protector is just there for when something happens to mains from human causes. Putting all of my luck on them for lightning is just too much faith in modern manufacturing and faith in companies honoring a warranty on those devices.
I guess it's another good reason for why I shouldn't have my phone charging in the bed with me while I sleep; the other good reason being battery fires.
although anyone saying this outloud likely wont have their mind changed, for the rest of you all that want to remain informed:
cellular devices and radios do not emit ionizing radiation - which is the kind that messes up cells, and nonionizing radiation can only increase heat which is why all devices operate under a power limit
people are studying other potential biological effects of nonionizing radiation and there is zero consensus of there being any. so some people, including some smaller government agencies, exercise caution
> The data collection indicated a worrying series of fatal accidents in Brazil, all concentrated in five months. The recurrence of these accidents in rural regions and the intense sound of the discharge reported by witnesses indicate the proximity and intensity of the lightning during the accidents.
So, rural areas without lightning rods nor any other safety mechanism. Good study that can save lives by taking prevention measures in rural areas in developing countries. But it will probably not affect anybody living in New York.
> But it will probably not affect anybody living in New York.
There are vast swathes of American rural land with too-few and far between lightning rods. Maybe not in NY, I wouldn't know, but near as I can tell no U.S. state requires the installation of lightning rods in rural areas.
Could also be that Brazil has a lot of high population cities in high lightning zones. Couple that with illegal electric hookups and it sets up a dangerous situation.
Readit News
Increased lightning makes sense, but I'd still have expected most climate-related deaths to be caused by flooding, heat waves, disease & crop failures, with lightning being a much smaller factor. Do they just mean it's in the top 5 or 10 climate-driven causes, or is lightning really killing people on the same (or greater) scale as these other things?
If it sounds like a bad storm, I'll start unplugging other electronics.
I thought I was doing overkill abundance of caution, but maybe it's actually a good idea.
Two of my family members have had devices fried by lightning strikes over the years, and not even in regions known for the worst electrical storms.
I keep some portable battery packs handy in case I need to charge a phone, and if I'm working will switch to my laptop and tablet screens.
Of course, one can't conveniently unplug everything (HVAC, big kitchen appliances, etc.) but it's easy enough to safeguard work and lifestyle electronics.
Turning the TV off and listening to the storm is usually a nice change of pace, too.
What if you're out somewhere, do you drive home in a bad storm and unplug it all?
Out in Seattle, though, if there is a single crack of thunder, everyone is at the windows trying to see what happened. It is almost comical on how this place never really gets a storm.
Does make me somewhat at odds with the crowds that hate firework noise, "because it scares pets." I'm in agreement that it is just obnoxious and I don't miss it. I'm pretty sure thunder was far more frightening for any pets I had, growing up.
All that is to say, probably wise advice on unplugging things. I know that quality of power has gotten a lot more relevant in recent years, such that you should only be worried about very local events. Still, seems safe enough not to take a risk, if you can avoid it.
Sadly I've still been too lazy to upgrade my surge protectors lol
Dead Comment
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2025/04/22/showering...
gift link: https://wapo.st/3GjjuO2
Dead Comment
cellular devices and radios do not emit ionizing radiation - which is the kind that messes up cells, and nonionizing radiation can only increase heat which is why all devices operate under a power limit
people are studying other potential biological effects of nonionizing radiation and there is zero consensus of there being any. so some people, including some smaller government agencies, exercise caution
So, rural areas without lightning rods nor any other safety mechanism. Good study that can save lives by taking prevention measures in rural areas in developing countries. But it will probably not affect anybody living in New York.
There are vast swathes of American rural land with too-few and far between lightning rods. Maybe not in NY, I wouldn't know, but near as I can tell no U.S. state requires the installation of lightning rods in rural areas.
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