This blog post is for you if you’ve ever worried about staying safe in a tent during a storm. It’s an easy read that will give you everything you need to know about the dangers of lightning strikes and how to stay safe while camping out in the great outdoors.
Tips for staying safe in a tent during a storm
- Stay in the tent. If you can, keep your head below the level of the top of your shelter.
- Avoid isolated trees and other tall objects around you.
- Avoid bodies of water, metal objects, or anything that conducts electricity.
- Don’t touch metal objects (like metal parts on clothing) while lightning is nearby because lightning can jump from one thing to another through contact with you when it comes to metal objects: no touching!
- The ground is safe underfoot unless there are high voltage power lines or other sources of electricity nearby—then stay far away from those things and don’t touch them either!
- Your tent poles should not be connected during a storm, but if they feel a metal stake when lightning strikes, that stake could become like a giant magnet pulling dangerous currents into your tent, so make sure they aren’t close together! Generally speaking, though, it’s best not even have any stakes at all near your tent if possible, so pick them up and move them away before any bad stuff happens 😉
- Read More: How do you survive a storm in a tent?
Follow local advisories.
In addition to the steps outlined above, there are some other things you can do to make your tent even safer. One of these would be following local advisories, which will likely tell you when it’s best to go indoors and how long it will take before you can safely get back out again.
Weather Forecast for Camping ( Search Your Area )
Another thing that may help is keeping an eye on the weather forecast and ensuring that your shelter has adequate ventilation so that heat doesn’t build up too much inside. If possible, make sure there are no trees nearby that could conduct lightning strikes into your shelter if one hits them nearby; this includes both standing trees and fallen limbs/branches from existing ones.
Seek shelter at the first sign of a storm
The best place to seek shelter is inside a building. If caught outside, get into the lowest layer of cover available (whether that’s a ditch or a cave). Avoid areas near high voltage power lines and trees, as these attract lightning strikes. The safest places include the interior of your car and caves.
Find shelter in an enclosed structure if possible.
If you can’t find a building, vehicle or low-lying area to take shelter in, you’ll have to find something else.
If you can’t find anything, then your best bet is to lie flat on the ground and cover your head and neck with your hands. That might sound like an uncomfortable way of avoiding being struck by lightning, but it’s better than nothing if there isn’t anywhere else nearby that could provide shelter.
If this is too much effort or seems dangerous, try lying down behind large objects like trees or boulders instead – remember that these objects aren’t any safer than being out in the open air!
Avoid isolated trees and other tall objects.
You should avoid being near tall, isolated objects like trees and power lines. Lightning strikes the most elevated things, so you want to be as far away from them as possible when thunderstorms are in the area. Lightning has been known to travel up a tree and jump down onto a person standing below. If you have no choice but to camp near something like this, ensure it is at least 30 feet from your tent and preferably further.
When camping in an open field or along a beachfront, do your best not to get too close to large metal objects such as vehicles or bicycles that could attract lightning if an electrical storm brewing nearby (and even if there isn’t).
Make sure tents are not touching metal objects or anything that conducts electricity.
To protect yourself from a lightning strike, ensure your tent is not touching metal objects or anything that could conduct electricity. For example, if you have a metal tent pole and a lightning storm in the area, it would be best to have your tent on the opposite side of the bar so it doesn’t touch it.
That can be especially important if you’re camping with someone with an artificial leg and prosthetic arm—if they’re touching something metallic while lightning strikes nearby, they could get electrocuted! So make sure everyone in your group knows this vital safety tip!
Get away from bodies of water.
The first thing you should do is get away from bodies of water because they conduct electricity. Not only that, but avoid metal objects, isolated trees and open spaces. It would help if you also stayed away from high ground and anything that might be struck by lightning (like a tree). It’s not just the whole body of water or the tall tree itself that could cause problems—it’s also what’s around them: if there are any metal objects nearby (like a fence), you want to stay far away from them as well.
Avoid being near power lines or anything else with an electrical current running through it, too, since this can also create a circuit for lightning to travel through to reach you. If all else fails, try looking online where the nearest storm shelters are located in case conditions become unsafe during your adventure!
Many people think their tent is safe from lightning strikes, but you only need to touch one thing for danger to be imminent.
The ground acts as a conductor for lightning, so if you’re standing on the ground and a strike hits nearby, it will travel through your feet and into the tent’s structure. That can happen while you’re sleeping, cooking or just hanging out in the open area of the tent. It’s easy to think that camping in a shelter will protect you from everything—but it doesn’t mean anything if lightning strikes nearby!
If there’s no choice but to stay outside during a storm or while camping in an area prone to thunderstorms, try finding shelter under some rocks or trees until it passes completely. You might feel safer being close together with others inside their tents too!
Conclusion
You should always follow local advisories if available, but at least ensure your tent is not touching anything that could conduct electricity or be struck by lightning. Also, remember that it’s better to seek shelter inside an enclosed structure than outside during a storm!
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