Lightning
Two weeks back few of us were nude under open sky with no covers within 100 metres. Suddenly it started raining with thunders and both were approaching towards us. We understood that it is a matter of 5 minutes before rain catches us. I suggested that we move towards the trees, not under them but near them. Not because of rain: all would love to drench nude in the rain: but to prevent the lightning catch us. Everybody laughed at me, then, and when we were safe after half an hour of torrential rain soaked us to our bones.
That was a matter of Saturday, Sunday and Monday two weeks ago, and I returned home on Monday itself as the spot was within 3-4 hours of my present place of stay. I opened the net and some news caught my eyes. Haulover beach, the largest nude beach in the world, was lightning struck on Sunday; and two died and three were unconscious with many seriously injured.
Actually what I expressed was a real scientific concern, with very little but some definite chance of being caught in it. Lightning adopts the tallest and least resistant path. Water decreases our body resistance (electrical resistance) also. So it is best to be near some tree or trees and be within a 45 degrees cone of it, but standing just under it or any other shed is risky too. Beware while nude under open sky when you are the tallest body within a pretty large area, and nimbus cloud (black rainy cloud) is approaching or has already overcast the sky, and lightning is seen not very far.
As I was trying to explain, the tree , specially when wet , attracts the lightning because of its height.The electrical charges ( and consequent high voltage) passes through the tree to the ground. If one touches the tree or is close to its roots, the possibility of getting electrocuted during the lightning is very high. At times, if the soil resistance is comparatively high, the electrical charges conveyed by the lightning stroke takes time to be dissipated in earth and there is a marked difference in the voltage between the space between our two legs ( Known technically as the step voltage) , which may cause electrocution. That is why it is wiser to stand away from a tall tree during lightning.The incidence in Haulover was because there were no trees or tall structures nearby.