Thunder rumbles, clouds darken the sky… The storm is brewing. Some French take refuge under their quilts; others open the windows to enjoy the show knowing they are safe in their homes. But is that really the case? Are you really safe at home when there are thunderstorms?

Less than one million lightning strikes are recorded on the ground each year in France. The probability of a house being struck by lightning is very low, but it happens every year. In June 2023, several homes were struck by lightning and for good reason: this month is one of the most struck down in history. With 180,000 impacts recorded by the weather services, the previous record dating from 1993 has been beaten, reports franceinfo.

Lightning is the electric arc that occurs when lightning strikes the ground. The intensity of such a lightning strike is between 10 and 20 million volts, according to Les Echos. When lightning strikes a building, the first risk is that of fire. In France, there are between 15 and 20,000 lightning-related fires each year. Apart from fires, many other more or less serious damages are linked to lightning: degradation of the roof, alteration of electrical appliances, power cuts… Several hundred thousand electrical damages are recorded in France each year.

“Threats to a building are twofold: the risk that lightning strikes directly on it and causes significant damage, or that a surge propagates through power or telecom lines to the home, destroying sensitive equipment such as the television or the computer”, specifies Michel Koutmatzoff, president of the association Protection Foudre, to our colleagues from Ça m’intrigues.

To avoid any risk of overvoltage or fire, discover in our slideshow below 6 tips to protect yourself from lightning when you are at home.