After hot summer days, thunderstorms often roll in quickly. It's not just about balcony furniture, windows, and basements, but also about household electronics. Routers, televisions, computers, chargers, and smart devices are often permanently plugged in. Lightning and power surges can make this expensive.
Timing is important: Pull plugs in good time, while the thunderstorm is not yet directly overhead. While it is thundering and lightning in the immediate vicinity, no one should be frantically handling power outlets, antenna cables, or data lines.
What makes sense before a thunderstorm
- Disconnect sensitive devices: Unplug routers, modems, televisions, computers, game consoles, and hi-fi systems from the power supply when a thunderstorm is foreseeable.
- Unplug chargers: Do not leave power adapters for mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and power banks in the socket unnecessarily.
- Check data and antenna cables: If it is easy and safe to do so, also disconnect antenna, network, or telephone lines. Many damages do not just come through the power outlet.
- Charge important devices beforehand: Charge your mobile phone, flashlight, and power bank before the storm front arrives, not in the middle of it.
- Plan windows and shutters calmly: Do not run back and forth between power outlets, open windows, and the balcony at the last moment.
Switching off a power strip is not always enough
Many power strips have a red switch. It is practical, but it does not automatically replace complete disconnection from the power grid. If you want to protect sensitive or expensive devices, pull the plug of the strip out of the wall socket. Only then is the circuit truly interrupted.
Surge protection can help additionally, especially for computers, routers, and consumer electronics. However, it is not a free pass to leave every device connected during every thunderstorm. In areas with frequent thunderstorms or sensitive technology, professional advice on suitable surge and lightning protection is worthwhile.
Router and internet: decide early enough
The router is often the device that runs the longest in everyday life. If a thunderstorm is announced and no one urgently needs to be online, it can be disconnected from the power in good time. For DSL, cable, or antenna, you should also think about the respective line, provided it is easily accessible.
Anyone working from home should not wait until the first loud thunder to decide. A short plan is better: save documents, use the laptop battery, disconnect the router as the storm approaches, and do not leave important phone calls until the last moment.
What is taboo during a thunderstorm
- do not touch power outlets and cables barefoot or with wet hands
- do not pull cables out from behind furniture if a strong thunderstorm is already raging outside
- do not handle chargers or laptop cables at an open window
- do not create makeshift cable tangles with multiple plugs
- do not experimentally switch the fuse back on yourself in the event of water ingress or visible damage
After the thunderstorm: reconnect calmly
When the thunderstorm has passed, reconnect devices one by one. If a device does not start, smells burnt, becomes unusually warm, or causes fuses to trip, leave it unplugged. Then it is a job for professional personnel.
A small thunderstorm routine for the apartment is practical: check the router, television, computer, chargers, and balcony; only then ventilate, switch devices back on, and check whether the refrigerator, freezer, and internet are running normally.
Small checklist for the summer
- keep a good flashlight handy
- charge power bank regularly
- do not save important phone numbers only online
- do not overload power strips
- do not leave expensive electronics connected unnecessarily during holidays and thunderstorm conditions
Read also
- Thunderstorm check for balcony and garden: What needs to be cleared away before heavy rain, storms, and hail
- Power outage during a heatwave: How to properly handle your fridge and freezer
- Heavy rain after hot days: How to protect your basement, entrance, and apartment
- Holiday check for the apartment: 12 things to do before departure
- Mobile phone, laptop and power bank in the heat: How to properly protect devices in summer
Sources and further information
- ORF ON: Storms after heat
- OVE: Avoid accidents – safely through the thunderstorm season
- Protect against lightning: Information on lightning and surge protection
- Civil Protection Upper Austria: Self-protection tips during thunderstorms
- Lower Austrian Civil Protection Association: Thunderstorm
Article image: AI-generated symbolic image.
