Is it true that you can get electocuted if you talk on the phone during a thunderstorm????

Question

I'm scared of storms and hate being alone for them..... I know its lame to be scared of them but I can't help it

Answer 1

Its not true... There are protective devices that the electric company and telephone company put on their lines called lighting arrestors. Also at your house your electric panel and telephone box are grounded which means if the line is struck by lighting right outside your house the ground will protect your wiring inside your home. So go ahead and talk all you want on the phone during a thunderstorm... you are perfectly safe.

Answer 2

First off you aren't lame to be afraid, when the wind is too high I head for the cellar. As someone else said, you certainly can be hit IF you are talking on a phone that's on a wall jack. and personally I'd stay away from anything that's plugged in or bringing in power by battery or whatever) I knew a girl just a few years ago that was killed by a lightning strike while on the phone. Even if phone lines are buried which tend to give people a sense of security for some reason..don't be fooled. If lightning strikes the ground above where the lines are it will go into the line and travel in both directions and eventually dissipate but why take the chance you are too close. I personally do not do certain things during a lightning storm, I don't fear lightning I just respect it because my Grandfather was an Electrician. I stay inside or in a car if I'm away from home. I stay away from water outlets....don't believe me look it up. Also something some people may not know is this, do NOT keep your phone jack plugged in to your modem during a lightning storm unless you have a good expensive mega surge protector to plug that phone jack in to. I have one but I still unplug the phone cord because I've known 3 people that have had their modems blown out during storms and I'm not taking any chances. I know lots of people that talk on phones and plug that phone jack right in to their computer during storms and have never had a problem. They've only been lucky. I personaolly won't even talk on a Cell phone..might be silly but electricity does seek itself out, bad enough humans have their own electrical charge and send out "streamers" that can attrack lightning to hit them most likely if they are outside. (you can look this up as well) Stay safe. Worse States for lightning are Florida who has a second name other than the Sunshine State..it's also called the Lightning
State because it has the more hits than other States. Colorado comes in second for a BIG danger area for Lightning, I'd check this info out before I do any mountain climbing there. They have a Lightning Research Center located somewhere in this State. Also FACTS given by an answer by klbblk are good. You bet lightning can travel a good distance. When my brother was playing basketball with a friend on what appeared to be a nice day his friend was struck and killed by lighning. The hit was so strong it blew his sneakers off..don't be so secure in sneakers, so what she says about the strength of a hit is probably correct. I knew it was bad but didn't know the numbers. The lightning had come from a storm that was forming on the far end of the lake and they were playing at the school on the other end. They said it hit the water and travelled and he must have put out a strong streamer. My brother couldn't talk for 3 days. Also my son used to be in the refueling section of the AF and he told me that if a storm was anywhere within something like a 20 mile radius they did not pump gas. Jet fuel is highly explosive (sp?) and the threat of an EMP (Electric Magnetic Pulse) was a threat. I have experienced one of those in my lifetime in a car I was driving at night during a severe storm. It was such a split second thing other people probably didn't even notice it. It was so fast the engine went off and right back on, I noticed everything just went dark, all the other car lights, street lights, everything and then they went back on. So quick I can't believe I caught it and wonder if I've missed others. I know one thing, it was the eeriest thing I've ever felt in my life.

Answer 3

The answer is yes! You would want to stay off the phone because they can conduct electricity if the lighting strike is near your home. I would tell you not to be scare of what nature throw your way, but sometime being a little scared is good for you. Just remember all the do and don't and you will be better off than the fools on the golf course's. I personally love a good storm and lighting and the booming sounds. Always have since I was a kid. My mom used it in some sort of nature lesson and put a positive spin on it.

Answer 4

it's not lame lots of people are you never know what's gonna happen in a storm, as far as the electroction of being on a land line phone during one not sure about dieing or anything like that when a storm is happening never heard of anything that serious but years ago my mom was on the phone during a thunderstorm and she did get a shock when the thunder struck the phone line she to this day will not even be on her cell phone during a storm

Answer 5

No, but it is possible to get a little shock. I know this because I got a little shock during a thunderstorm while I was on the phone. I rarely talk on the phone now during a storm.

Answer 6

its slightly less possible than being struck by lightening and that 1 in 3million.
only a couple of times has someone been struck by lightening while inside and thats only because they had a metal bed.
dont be worryed millions are on the phone at any one time so theres nothing to be scared of

some facts if your intrested:
-There are, on average, about 1800 thunderstorms in progress at any one time around the world with one hundred lightning strikes every second.
-Lightning bolts can travel 60 miles and the longest are found at the squall line of a storm.
-A lightning bolt travels at about 14,000mph bringing 300,000 volts of electricity to the ground in just a few milliseconds, and heating up the air around it to 30,000°C - five times hotter than the surface of the sun

Answer 7

It is *highly* unlikely. However, if Lightning strikes your telephone line it could conceivably travel through the line (if you are on a non-wireless phone) and electrocute you.

If you are on a wireless phone you might run a *very* slightly elevated risk that the lightning will be more attracted to you. However, assuming you are inside it is more likely to hit the tree in your yard or the top of your roof instead.

Answer 8

believe it or not: telephone voltage is not as high as line voltage, such as a wall outlet. Residential voltage is run off of 120V...telephone voltage is only between 6 - 12V, which is peanuts compared to 120V...the voltage is what causes a person to get electrocuted...a lightning bolt, although only the thickness of your pinky, carries thousands of volts [not sure the exact amount,but it's close in range, if not higher, to the voltage carried through the telephone pole wires.] and needs a conductor to do damage...such as metal.
I'm sure you could get electrocuted while talking on the phone during a lightning storm, but only if your phone line becomes the conductor for the lightning bolt.

Answer 9

Dont be such a fraidycat, phones are plastic and cant conduct electricity. Id be more worried about being outside holding a wire fence in a lightning storm as I know the staples are all galvanised iron and the wire should theoretically send the the charge all around the farm till its earthed???

Answer 10

Possible but Unlikely. I would suggest using a cordless if you are scared. The lightning hitting the telephone line would fry the base, but would not transfer to you.