![]() The question is, if you’re in the water near the lightning strike, will this harm you? I don’t know the answer, but I suspect it will depend on how well the water conducts electricity relative to your body. We know that water is a good conductor of electricity, so if lightning strikes water it will generate a current. If you are standing nearby, the current may find an easier path through your body – these indirect strikes are a more common cause of death, particularly in livestock. When lightning strikes land, it dissipates through the surrounding ground. This doesn’t prove that you’re safer in the water than on a boat as we don’t know the relative number of people involved in each activity but the bottom line is that you can definitely be killed by lightning while on or in the water.Ī direct strike is not the only way lightning can kill you. Statistics from the US show that between 20, there were 71 water related deaths from lightning strikes of which 20% were of people in boats and 8% were swimming. Not good.īut think twice before scrambling out of the water onto the nearest boat as that will lift you higher and potentially put you at greater risk. If your head is above water level, it’s potentially the highest point around and therefore a nice target for lightning. When lightning strikes, it often (but not always) hits the tallest thing in the vicinity. The biggest fear is a direct strike by lightning. The short answer is ‘yes’, but there are other considerations. vaguely remember from many years ago) about electricity and water, to try to answer the question: should we really be wary of lightning when we’re swimming? ![]() Later, when I got home, I did a bit of research on the subject on the ever-reliable internet and combined that with what I know (i.e. ![]()
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