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| - Fact Check: It's safe to carry phones in the rain — they DON'T attract lightning!
A video has been widely shared with the claim that phones can attract lightning. The claim is misleading. Here's what we found.
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India Today Fact Check
Cell Phones don’t attract lightning. This 2021 video from Indonesia shows a man whose umbrella caused lightning to strike him. The man reportedly survived the incident.
As summer monsoons arrive in India, a shocking video has been making rounds with a questionable warning. The video claims that phones can attract lightning.
The video in question shows a man walking on a rainswept street with an umbrella when he’s suddenly struck by what appears to be lightning. There’s an explosion of sparks and the man is next seen unconscious on the ground.
Those sharing the video claimed: “This man was using his phone while walking in the rain, it is believed the lightning was attracted to the phone signals. Don't use phone in open spaces when it is raining.”
AFWA found that the claim with this video is misleading. Mobile phones can’t attract lightning. Media reports on the video state that a security guard’s umbrella burst into a fireball after being struck by lightning.
Archived versions of posts with similar claims can be seen here and here.
Where’s the video from?
A reverse search of the video’s keyframes led us to a report in the Mirror from December 28, 2021.
The report said that the man was a security guard and his umbrella suddenly burst into a fireball and disintegrated after being struck by lightning. The report added that the man “miraculously survived the incident.” The incident took place in the village of Sukapura in North Jakarta, Indonesia.
Do cell phones attract lightning?
A report on this incident on the Indonesian news website Kompas also claims this incident did not take place because of a cell phone.
The report quoted Professor Reynaldo Zoro, an expert in the field of lightning, who said, “Cell Phones or handy talkies do not cause a person to be struck by lightning. Because they have different frequencies.”
When we searched for the effects of lightning on cell phones, we found a report on the website of the National Weather Service, the official nodal agency for weather forecasts in the US. The report called this a myth.
To further confirm the claim, we got in touch with Surya Sarathi Barat, a former professor at the School of Information Technology under the Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU). “No, cell phones don’t have a wire attached to them. So, it’s quite unlikely that it would attract lightning. Unlike old-fashioned umbrellas with pointed objects on the hood, cellphones are safe,” Barat told AFWA.
Hence, we concluded that the claim is misleading. Cell Phones don’t attract lightning. The incident in the video was caused by an umbrella.
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You can also send us an email at factcheck@intoday.com
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