Taking deliberate steps to calm one’s anxiety is the best way to cope. Call recommends having a clearly defined plan for evacuating in case of a storm, pre-packing bags with essentials like food and radios and talking to children so they’re prepared for severe weather.

Take tips from the Mayo Clinic for talking to kids about weather-related anxiety:

1. Be calm and supportive.
2. Talk about storms matter-of-factly.
3. Allow children to face their fears by gradually helping them learn they can handle a fear and other uncertainties of life on their own.

You’re not alone: 12.5% of U.S. adults experience specific phobia at some time in their lives….Common Phobia Statistics.

Ten ways to fight your fears

1. Take time out. It’s impossible to think clearly when you’re flooded with fear or anxiety.
2. Breathe through panic. If you start to get a faster heartbeat or sweating palms, the best thing is not to fight it.
3. Face your fears.
4. Imagine the worst.
5. Look at the evidence.
6. Don’t try to be perfect.
7. Visualise a happy place.
8. Talk about it.

Why Worry About Thunderstorms? The National Weather Service considers a thunderstorm severe if it produces hail at least one inch in diameter, winds of 58 mph or stronger, or a tornado. Despite their small size, ALL thunderstorms are dangerous!

A severe thunderstorm is a thunderstorm that contains large hail, 1 inch in diameter or larger, and/or damaging straight-line winds of 58 mph or greater (50 nautical mph). Rain cooled air descending from a severe thunderstorms can move at speeds in excess of 100 mph.

Do NOT bathe, shower, wash dishes, or have any other contact with water during a thunderstorm because lightning can travel through a building’s plumbing. Do NOT use your computers, laptops, game systems, washers, dryers, stoves, or anything connected to an electrical outlet.

Risk Level of Showering in a Thunderstorm According to the CDC, being in a shower is one of them. If you’re in the middle of a lightning storm, the CDC says you should not shower, bathe, or do dishes.

“Ron Holle, a former meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who tracks lightning injuries, estimates that 10 to 20 people in the US are shocked annually while bathing, using taps or handling appliances during storms.” Of 240 people struck by lightning in the US in 2012, 28 were killed.

Using a corded telephone during a thunderstorm is discouraged because the phone is physically connected by wires to the outside. A cellphone, however, has no such physical connection and the electric current from a nearby lightning strike cannot reach it. It is perfectly safe to use a cellphone during a thunderstorm.

Is it safe to take a shower or bath during a lightning storm? No. Lightning can travel through plumbing. It is best to avoid all water during a lightning storm.

It can be dangerous to take a shower or a bath during a thunderstorm. On average, 10-20 people get struck by lightning while bathing, using faucets, or handling an appliance during a storm. Metal plumbing and the water inside are excellent conductors of electricity.

During a thunderstorm, simple daily tasks such as doing the dishes or taking a shower can increase your risk of getting struck by lightning. “You just want to stay away from things that conduct electricity within the home,” Jensenius said. He said that lightning can strike up to about 10 miles away from a thunderstorm.

Dr. Griggs says if a person is struck by lightning, it can cause cardiac arrest, which stops a person’s body from circulating blood and cause direct injury to the brain and nervous system, preventing the brain from being able to send the appropriate signals to tell the body to continue breathing.

The place most likely to be struck by lightning in the world is one spot above Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, according to new data. Over this mountain lake, there was a lightning show an astounding 297 days out of 365 days a year, on average.

Over the entire year, the highest frequency of cloud-to-ground lightning is in Florida between Tampa and Orlando.

When a storm passes by and a bolt of lightning flashes, HAMMA can determine where the strike happened. It also measures the electric field produced by the strike. Lightning begins with a leader. This stream of negative charge leaves the cloud and searches for a path through the air to the ground.

Venezuela

The bolt shows a little of the great complexity in lightning. To capture the energy, put your super-super capacitor right in the strike zone. Recall that 1010 Watts is 10,000,000,000 or 10 billion Watts. = 2.7 x 106 Wh or Watt-hour per our average lightning bolt.

There is so much power in a thunderstorm. Some places in the world are renown for the sheer number of lightning strikes they get a year. One of these places is Tampa Bay, Florida. This lightning city could theoretically harness the incredible power of lightning to power their city.