![]() But if you are wet and all your gear gets wet, you could end up hypothermic. Getting drenched: Getting wet usually isn’t a big deal.The wind will catch these tents and blow them away like a kite. Tent being blown away: Some tents aren’t very aerodynamic.Never pitch your tent under dead or weak branches! Widow-maker trees: These are tree branches which fall down onto your tent and potentially kill you.On top of lightning, there are also these risks of camping in a thunderstorm: And camping in an open field with tent poles practically calling out to the lightning certainly doesn’t help the situation. In certain areas, the chance of getting hit by lightning is much higher. However, that doesn’t mean getting struck by lightning doesn’t happen. There is no shortage of facts that tell you things like, “the chance of getting struck by lightning is 1 in a million.” That leads us to the question… Is it safe to camp during a thunderstorm? When the storm is still far away, you’ll see the lightning first because light travels faster than sound. For each 5 seconds between them, the storm is 1 mile away. As lightning and thunder blasts get closer together, you will know that the storm is right overhead.įun fact: Count the time between the lightning and thunder. Suddenly, you’ll start doubting your tent (I’m surprised how well my cheap ultralight tent held up throughout storms). It gets LOUD in the tent.Īs the thunderstorm approaches, the wind gets stronger. It gets under the tent rain fly and makes it flap back and forth violently. The wind starts blowing hard against the tent. When a storm is brewing, the wind will build up around you. I need to remain calm and composed so she doesn’t freak out. Of course, I’m not allowed to show my fear because I camp with my young daughter. I’m not going to lie: it is mildly terrifying to camp during thunderstorms. On one backpacking trip, it even HAILED for a period! Thunderstorms Camping are Scary! However, camping in a thunderstorm is a completely different story. Over the years, I’ve camped in the rain many times (and written tips on how to camp in the rain here).
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