Thunderstorms have been battering Europe for days now, bringing an unusually prolonged period of dangerous weather. The storms started during the last weekend of May and initially it was the lightning that was particularly hazardous.
On Saturday, May 28, one man in Poland was killed by lightning as he hiked down a mountain. On the same day, 35 people were injured at a children’s football match in Germany and in France eleven people, including eight children, were injured as lightning raged across Paris. Since then the thunderstorms have continued relentlessly.
Major thunderstorms are not uncommon at this time of year, but for such a large number of people to be struck by lightning in one day across Europe is very rare. This is partly due to the intensity of the storms and the amount of lightning that was produced, but it also due to the fact that it was the weekend, so there were more people outside.
The children who were injured by lightning in Paris made the mistake of sheltering from the storm under a tree. Experiments in laboratories can simulate lightning conditions, and have shown that poles of metal and wood are hit an equal number of times by lightning. This demonstrates that any tall structure jutting into the air is the perfect target for a lightning strike, and therefore being underneath a towering tree is one of the most dangerous places to be.
Of course most people who take shelter under a tree are trying to avoid getting drenched, rather than thinking about lightning. However, staying dry isn’t necessarily the best thing to do during a thunderstorm either. It has been found that people who are absolutely soaking wet are more likely to survive being struck by lightning than those who are dry. That’s because water is a good conductor of electricity, so the lightning can flow through the water on your skin and clothes, rather than directly through the body. Therefore being drenched might just save your life.
If there is a thunderstorm, the best thing to do is to take shelter in a sturdy building. A flimsy shed will do nothing to protect you from lighting, but if the building has plumbing or wiring, this will conduct the electricity allowing you to remain safe inside. If a building is not available, then a car will also keep you safe, because the metal frame will conduct the electricity. Of course there are times when no suitable shelter is at hand.
If you are stranded in the open air where there are no other options, then the best advice is to crouch down on the ground. Lying down would make you a larger target, but crouching down makes you as small as possible. It’s also advised for you to crouch on the balls of your feet whilst pressing your heels together. This is because most people who are injured by lightning aren’t hit directly. Usually the lightning strikes nearby, and the powerful surge of electricity travels through the ground to reach people nearby. If you put your heels together, then because electricity will travel through the shortest route, up one foot and down the other, and this should protect your vital organs.
The storms across Europe were triggered by a number of weather features. Firstly there was an area of low pressure over Europe. An area of low pressure encourages air to rise, which in turn encourages showers to develop. There was also a pool of cold air high up in the atmosphere, while at lower levels warm air had drifted northwards from Africa. Hot air rises, and with cool air above, it rises even faster. This ensured the showers that developed at the end of May and into June developed quickly and were immensely powerful.
Normally showers of this nature would only last a few days, but in this case, the area of low pressure over Europe refused to budge. Thunderstorms developed day after day, bringing damaging hail, gusty winds and vast amounts of rain.
On May 29, the day after the lightning caused numerous injuries, another severe thunderstorm brought flash flooding to the streets of Braunsbach in Germany. The rainwater was funnelled through narrow valleys of the surrounding countryside and into the streets of the town. Terrifying video footage has emerged which showed an emergency vehicle, with its sirens still blazing, swept through the streets.
A week later, and the storms were still raging across Europe. The third and final day of Germany’s ‘Rock am Ring’ music festival was cancelled after more than eighty people were injured by lightning. After the storms in the morning of Saturday, June 4, performances were suspended and many of the 92,000 fans took shelter in their cars or tents. The next day, as the risk of more severe thunderstorms remained, the festival was cancelled altogether.
It’s also worth mentioning that 33 people were taken to hospital last year after being struck by lightning at the ‘Rock am Ring’ festival. Obviously the beginning of June is rather an active time for thunderstorms to develop across Europe. If you are travelling to the continent this summer, you shouldn’t worry too much about being struck by lightning though! It’s incredibly unlikely to happen to you, but it’s always best to respect the weather and know when to take shelter.


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