Watching thunderstorms was a family tradition. As soon as those silver maples turned back their leaves and the clouds began building, we would gather on the porch, anticipating. The tv would flash with promises of excitement to come. Mom would make us put on shoes, and warn us not to take showers or do dishes (not something we were prone to doing as children anyway). I’ve never really been able to pinpoint the attraction, but I know our family isn’t the only one to get our kicks through storm watching. There’s something exhilarating in an approaching storm, but less scary (for me) than a roller coaster or a horror movie. And yet, a thunderstorm is far more potentially deadly than either.
Even today, I’m happy to hear a storm roll in, so long as I’m cozy at home and don’t need to be anywhere. And even today, my first instinct is to reach for the nearest pair of shoes to slip on before I head to the door.
So what’s with these early admonitions from our childhood? Do I really need to put those shoes on? Does my highly valued shower time really have to wait until the skies clear? Did Mom and Dad really know what they were talking about?
The answer, of course, is sort of.
Rubber is definitely a good insulator, and can help protect you against electric shock. However, the immense magnitude of a bolt of lightning isn’t really going to care if you have 2mm of rubber attached to the bottom of your feet. And those shoes aren’t going to do much anyway if you are, say, lying down in bed, sitting in a lawn chair on the porch, or outside splashing in a puddle while your mother’s back is turned.
The real danger while indoors during a thunderstorm really does lurk in the shower, the kitchen sink, and…the nevermore ubiquitous landline. When lightning strikes a house, the electric current travels (mainly) through the electrical wiring and the plumbing. Anything connected to those systems is fair game.
So please, when you hear the trees begin to bustle and the rain pours down in sheets, use your modern technology wisely. You can Tweet on your cell phone and Facebook on your laptop to your heart’s content, so long as they are not plugged into a socket somewhere. You can even do it shoeless, if you like.
Whatever you do just don’t, don’t wash those dishes by hand, and don’t pick up that rotary phone receiver.
Happy storm watching.

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