Taipei City Fire Department

Characteristics of Lightning Strikes:

1. When there is cumulonimbus cloud, there is a high chance of lightning and lightning strikes.

    

2. If you hear the thunder 3 seconds after seeing lightning, the lightening is 1 km away; if the lightning and thunder occur almost at the same time, it means that the lightning is somewhere above.

    

3. Lightning likes to take shortcuts: isolated high-rise objects are likely strike points for lightning.

    

Precautions for Lightning and Lightning Strike:
1. Outdoors:

1. Go inside a car, room or big building immediately.

    

2. Do not hide under a tree or go near an isolated tall building, tower, utility pole or chimney.

    

3. Do not stand at a high-rise place or on top of a hill.

    

4. Do not enter an isolated shelter or pavilion.

    

5. If you are in an open field, squat down and wrap your arms around your knees; try to reduce as much surface contact of your body with the ground as possible.

    

6. Do not immerse yourself in water, and keep away from the beach, swimming pool and riverside.

    

7. Do not wear metal accessories, and do not go near metal objects.

    

8. Do not use mobile phones.

    

2. Indoors:

1. Keep away from electric wires, water taps, sinks, bath tubs, bronze objects, iron objects, etc., as they are good conductors of electricity.

    

2. Do not go near the doors and windows if unnecessarily.

    

3. Except for emergency purposes, do not use the telephone.

    

4. Do not use electrical appliances (iron, toaster, microwave, blender, etc.) and keep away from televisions and radios.

    

※Weather Enquiry Number: 166 (Mandarin); 167 (Taiwanese, Hakka, English)
Weather Hotline: (02) 2349-1234 Earthquake Hotline: (02) 2349-1168
Official Websit (Chinese): http://www.cwb.gov.tw