{"id":11651,"date":"2025-08-17T08:35:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T07:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/?p=11651"},"modified":"2025-09-23T09:02:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T08:02:24","slug":"no-you-shouldnt-lie-on-the-ground-during-a-thunderstorm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/2025\/08\/17\/no-you-shouldnt-lie-on-the-ground-during-a-thunderstorm\/","title":{"rendered":"No, You Shouldn\u2019t Lie on the Ground During a Thunderstorm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Original article<\/em><\/a> (in Serbian) was published on 15\/8\/2025; Author: Teodora Koledin<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLie on the ground and turn off all devices!\u201d<\/strong> writes <\/a>Kurir in a news headline, relying on advice from physicist Goran Marjanovi\u0107<\/strong> on protection against lightning strikes. And although that very headline raises the question: \u201cWhat is myth and what is fact when it comes to lightning strikes?\u201d, Traga\u010d concludes<\/span> that the author ultimately offers readers instructions that are closer to misconceptions than to scientifically supported information<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lightning strike recently occurred at a football stadium in Loznica during a match. One player was slightly injured, while another required resuscitation and died<\/a> a few days later. Using the lightning strike at the Loznica match as a pretext, Kurir contacted physicist Goran Marjanovi\u0107, who is presented in the article as a \u201c<\/em>specialist in Tesla\u2019s technologies and natural phenomena.\u201d<\/em> In one segment, the journalist states the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cHe (Marjanovi\u0107, author\u2019s note) advises farmers caught in a storm in the fields to lie on the ground<\/strong> and throw away any metal tools to reduce the risk of being struck by lightning.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

However, relevant sources show that your chances of avoiding a lightning strike are actually better if you don\u2019t<\/strong> do this \u2013 that is, if you don\u2019t lie on the ground. Not only will such a move fail to protect you, but it can put you in even greater danger<\/strong>. As stated on the official website<\/a> of the U.S. National Weather Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cLying flat on the ground increases your chance of being seriously injured or killed by potentially deadly ground current. If you are caught outside during a thunderstorm, keep moving toward a safe shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

We also spoke about this topic with physicist Slobodan Bubnjevi\u0107<\/strong>, who works on the popularisation of science. He also emphasizes that one should never lie on the ground<\/strong> during a thunderstorm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThat is a completely wrong and dangerous piece of advice. This falls under basic safety culture, just like the advice not to shelter under a tall tree or near power line \u2013 something everyone spending time outdoors should know. The discharge ends in the ground, and a person lying flat is at great risk of being caught in the discharge channel.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, getting rid of \u201cmetal tools\u201d during a thunderstorm is a justified recommendation<\/strong>, since metal is a good conductor. In this context, however, Bubnjevi\u0107 clarifies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIf you have a metal object in your pocket, it has no effect on lightning, but if you hold a metal rod above yourself during a thunderstorm, you can certainly become a target.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In the Kurir headline, it is also suggested that in the event of a lightning strike, one should \u201cturn off all devices.\u201d Although the article later specifies \u201crefrigerators, freezers, and other motorized appliances,\u201d it\u2019s worth pointing out the widespread myth<\/a> that mobile phones should be switched off during thunderstorms. Traga\u010d has already written about this unfounded recommendation, and Bubnjevi\u0107 further explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cPhones use signals in the microwave part of the spectrum; they do not interact with the atmosphere, and it\u2019s not clear at all where this misconception comes fromthat phones attract lightning.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The news was republished in the same or similar form not only by Kurir, but also by the portals Republika<\/a>, Pink<\/a>, Mondo<\/a>, and ATVBL<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notes:<\/strong> The portal Mondo<\/a> published a correction in line with professional standards (August 18, 2025). The portal Kurir<\/a> published a correction in line with professional standards (August 26, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Original article (in Serbian) was published on 15\/8\/2025; Author: Teodora Koledin \u201cLie on the ground and turn off all devices!\u201d writes Kurir in a news headline, relying on advice from physicist Goran Marjanovi\u0107 on protection against lightning strikes. And although that very headline raises the question: \u201cWhat is myth and what is fact when it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":11653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[316],"tags":[637,8,28],"class_list":["post-11651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fact-checks","tag-lightning","tag-science","tag-serbia"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t