Skip the Beech and Bolthole: What to Do During a Thunderstorm? Oh, Those Old Wives' Tales! 🌩😵💫
When encountering a situation where neither beech nor oak trees are involved, how should one respond or act? - - Dealing with a Lightning Situation: Guidelines and Precautions.
Let's debunk some myths, folks! Forensic pathologist Fred Zack, who's been delving into the nitty-gritty of lightning for nearly 30 years, calls BS on that old wives' tale about seeking shelter under beech trees during a thunderstorm. According to Zack, all trees should be given a wide berth, regardless of their variety. "Old saying or not, the notion is bunk!" Zack warns in his new book, "Lightning Strikes ⚡️ Knowledge, Myths, and How to Protect Yourself Optimally."
Besides his work as an investigator of lightning-related fatalities, Zack continues to educate us laypeople from his post at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Rostock as a freelancer. His new book aims to provide practical knowledge for folks who want to stay safe, because according to Zack, nine out of ten lightning-related incidents in Germany are preventable!
Ever heard the phrase "struck by lightning out of the clear blue sky"? Well, that gets a big thumbs up from our man Zack. Unlike the beech tree myth, this one holds up—lightning can strike several kilometers away from a thunderstorm, and it doesn't even need to be cloudy. The sun can be out and shining, and there you are, basking in the sun only to get a surprise thunderstorm guest. 😮
According to the Aldis/Blids lightning information service, there were 209,619 lightning strikes nationwide in 2024, averaging about 2.5 minutes apart. Bavaria had the most strikes, with 56,664, while Mecklenburg-Vorpommern had 11,880. Statistics only count ground strikes, not cloud-to-cloud discharges.
"Imagine a heat as high as 30,000 degrees Celsius," Zack describes the intense power of lightning. Gold chains don't fare too well amid such inferno, turning into golden droplets that hit your skin or even leaving a carbon footprint behind.
Large open areas like sports fields can be deadly during a thunderstorm, with reports of football players receiving lightning strikes, injuries, or even losing their lives. In the fateful year of 1995, 14 people died during a football match in Honduras due to lightning. RIP.
Reports of lightning strikes vary widely across countries. For instance, India sees about 3,000 deaths and 30,000 injuries each year, a stark contrast to Germany’s figures. In fact, Zack actually published a medical textbook on lightning safety in English to spread his expertise to a broader audience.
When it comes to lightning safety, absolute safety is a tough nut to crack. But Zack emphasizes one golden rule: "When thunder roars, seek cover indoors!"
- Book: "Lightning Strikes ⚡️ Knowledge, Myths, and How to Protect Yourself Optimally"
- Lightning: 🌩️
- Germany: 🇩🇪
- Rostock: 🏙️
- Folk wisdom: 👩🦰🙅♂️
- Thunderstorm: 🌥️⚡️
- Fred: 🤓
Fun Fact:
Did you know that each second, about 2,000 lightning bolts strike the Earth? That's a whole lotta sparkle!
- In his new book, "Lightning Strikes ⚡️ Knowledge, Myths, and How to Protect Yourself Optimally," forensic pathologist Fred Zack discusses the science behind ionizing radiation, suggesting a possible connection between the risks related to exposure and the protection of workers.
- As a freelancer at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Rostock, Germany, Fred Zack is actively involved in environmental-science research, particularly focusing on the impact of climate change on various health-and-wellness aspects, including mental-health.
- Instead of seeking shelter under a beech tree during a thunderstorm, as suggested by some folk wisdom, Fred Zack's research indicates that all trees should be avoided, emphasizing the importance of staying informed about changes in general-news related to weather safety.
- On the topic of nutrition, it is worth noting that Fred Zack describes the intense heat of lightning as having temperatures as high as 30,000 degrees Celsius, which could potentially melt gold chains, reminding us of the delicate balance between our environment and our health-and-wellness.
