Someone once told me that it's bad to stand on concrete barefooted during a lightening storm. Is this true?

Answer 1

It is bad to stand anywhere in a lightning storm where you are not the tallest object in the vicinity. Wet concrete, however, will probably make you a slightly more attractive point for the lightning to strike, since you will be a bit better grounded than on dry concrete. It would, however, be better (though only very slightly) than standing in mud. Having shoes on would also be slightly better than being barefoot.

Still, the overwhelmingly major factor here would be your height in relation to the height of other conducting objects around you. Don't be the tallest thing around, and you'll be much less likely to be struck. And don't stand anywhere near the tallest thing around unless it can effectively shield you or reroute the electrical charge (like a house).

Answer 2

No, this is a myth! The only time that it is bad to stand outside in a thunderstorm is when you are the tallest object in the area.

ex: Standing in a 20 acre field holding a big metal rod during a thunderstorm is a bad (very,very,very bad) Idea.

This whole idea that shoes are insulators is a myth as well. We are talking thousands of volts of electricity, that little rubber on your shoe isn't gonna stop anything. The moisture that the concrete holds would not instigate a strike. Lightning is just like all electricity, it is looking for the quickest path to ground. Whether it's you or a barn the quickest path is the one it takes.

Answer 3

Barefoot or not, it's a bad idea to be outside when there's lightning around. (The tiny bit of rubber on shoes is not going to help AT ALL.) I've never heard anything about concrete being either good or bad, I suspect the who thing's just a myth.

Whoa, just read another's post - do NOT stay under a tree during a storm! Very Bad!

Answer 4

yes.....this is definitely true.
during a thunderstorm the concrete is wet, it conducts and there is a high possibility of the lightning to strike it. further ur body itself is a good conductor of electricity....
........so going out there is a bad idea. so next time u face such a problem, dont walk barefoot or even stand under a tree. just get inside a car as quickly as possible .
the reason that lightning will not strike u there even though the car is made of metal is electrical shielding. according to this phenomenon, electric field inside a conductor is zero. hence u will not be affected.

Answer 5

yas and no. If the cement is is wet it can conduct electricity. Dry concrete won't. If you are standing in on wet concrete when lightening strikes nearby, there is a possibility of being electricuted. But that goes for anything you may be standing on that's wet at the time....dirt, outdoor carpet, wood....pretty much anything that gets wet will conduct some amount of electricity.

Answer 6

maybe it's due to the steel reinforcement (rebar) used in the concrete as a conducter of the electrical currents in lightening. in any case, it's best to be inside or under a tree i hear, or even in your car as the rubber from the tires act as a ground and neutralizes the current.

Answer 7

there is a lot of water in concrete even if its old concrete water is great conductor of electricity and your bare little feet would also make a good pathway for lightning to travel up

Answer 8

Yeah water and electricity is bad news

Answer 9

it's bad to stand out in the lightening anyhow, let's just not do that for now...

Answer 10

I bet that same person offered a bridge to you at a good price, too.