can lightning hit you when you are inside a house? Can it go through windows?

Answer 1

i think so

Answer 2

Well yes and no. It can go through wires, water, or appliances. There are three different kinds of lightning, btw. Sheet lightning, dunno much about that. Fork lightning, which is what you are thinking of, can strike a house. Most houses are grounded, but it's still recommended you stay off the phone during an electrical storm. Don't take a bath, shower, or wash dishes, don't use any small appliances like a hair dryer. Grounded means the energy from the strike is directed back into the ground.

The third and rarest type of lightning is ball lightning. Most people will never see ball lightning in their lives. It can go through open windows or doors and has been known to sever limbs and cauterize (burn) the stump at the same time - but these types of accidents of extremely, extremely rare.

Answer 3

Yes, lightning can strike into a house and through window glass. The glass, while it IS an insulator, is not thick enough to be able to resist breaking down under the enormous voltage present in lightning-- hundreds of millions of volts.

Furthermore, there are easier ways for lightning to get into a house than through the windows. Through the Windows, for example. If you have a computer, telephone, or electrical service connected to your house, there is already a conductive pathway leading in that the lightning can use.

Even a ground strike (lightning hitting the ground nearby) can lead to large currents flowing up out of the ground, for example through plumbing and sewerage drains.

What protects people in most cases is the fact that the lightning dissipates in space-- you have seen lightning fork, or branch apart. If only a small amount of the total number of electrons pass your way, the likelihood of receiving a fatal shock is reduced. Not eliminated.

Houses should be protected by having lightning rods, which effectively bring ground up above the rooftop level, and give the lightning a preferred path to travel. New housing developments often leave several tall trees nearby, to serve as a sort of group lightning protection for the entire development.

Answer 4

It is possible, though rare. The grounding in most modern buildings would prevent this, by attracting and directing the lightning into the ground through a series or metal channels. However, in an older building that is not as grounded, lightning that strikes may be diverted and fragmented at the point of initial contact, and even continue through. Luckily, the lightning tends to lose some of its power, but can still be very dangerous.

Answer 5

Actulu lightning is an off loading of electricity between clouds and the earth and it always goes from the places with least resistances and human body is a good place to guid the electricity. so it depends on the materials that the house has been made with it and for your safety the best way is to use lightning conductors. and the lightning doesn`t need to go from the window it can pass anything with low resistance and there are many thing with lower resistance than the air

Answer 6

Yes, lightning can enter a house. Most builders nowadays "ground" a new house with a metal bar into the ground. During a thunderstorm with lightning you should stay away from doors & windows with metal frames, electrical appliances, electrical lines, water, telephone lines & turn off or even unplug your tv & pc! The storm will pass shortly & you can get back to your activities soon enough.

Answer 7

Yes to both questions. And lightning can also travel through water, so not a good idea to be taking a shower, also can go through phone lines or your computer, so stay away from those things during storms and make sure those things are unplugged so they don't get hit and fried!!

Answer 8

I have read about lightning going through windows, but it was in the same book that said people can spontaneously combust (just burst into fire for no apparent reason). So you decide how much weight you will put on this answer.

Answer 9

It can go through phone line, appliances and through water while showering (your feet must be on running water to provide grounding)

They ran tests on Mythbusters on Discovery Channel about this.

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Episode 30: Son of a Gun
(...) Then the two test just how dangerous it is to use the telephone or take a shower during a thunderstorm. (...)
premiere: March 30, 2005

Answer 10

nope..not possible naturally as it depends upon d way its hittin..n only if u r that hapless, it may.. otherwise, light requires a conduction medium to travel n if ur in any way close to any conductor like metal or alloy, there r chances that it may cross u n u may hav a nice time in the hospital... well, to avoid this, what u can safely do is that u hav to plant a long conduction pole on top of your house which is the likely place of danger n which is earthed to ground. so far windows r concerned if closed it may not cross at the maximum it can crash it if the impact is that strong.....if stay in a high rise building, make a grill on the window earthed... if not, then don worry ur top floorers r at stake..

Answer 11

My fifth grade home room was the only class on the second floor of our school. One day it was storming pretty badly when, suddenly, there was the awful, crashing sound and a ball of fire came through the window and rolled down the aisle. So yeah, it can go through windows.