Severe thunderstorms- do we need to lower the TV antenna?

[Lilrhody]

First trip with our TT and, of course we are under severe thunderstorm warnings. We have a crank up TV antenna. Do we need to lower it?

[rockhillmanor]

If there is lightening there is a storm. Even if the wind doesn't bend it a flying broken tree branch will. Just not worth the chance.

Antenna down.

[3oaks]

Lilrhody wrote:
First trip with our TT and, of course we are under severe thunderstorm warnings. We have a crank up TV antenna. Do we need to lower it?

Short to the point answer:
If you are concerned about wind damage,YES, lower the antenna.

[wa8yxm]

Two Answers:
1:With severe storms (NO thunder) the antenna routinely withstands 60-70 mph winds often much much faster.. ROUTINELY (admitidelly it is lowered when this happens but still) No need to lower it

With THUNDERSTORMS (Severe or not) DO NOT be the tallest thing in the campground (I am as it turns out)

IF lightening strikes anywhere near you (Say quarter mile) odds are the antenna and anythign hooked to it will be toast.. Elctronically.

If it strikes the antenna itself.. Then physically as well

Repair is nearly the same in both cases.

[SCVJeff]

Probably not, but why tempt fate putting pointy metal things in the air? Anywhere else they are called lightning rods.

[buta4]

TucsonJim wrote:

Lilrhody wrote:
Not worried about lightning - lots of things much taller than us where we are tonight - plus we are sitting on rubber tires.

More wondering about the wind potential. N

Rubber tires have no impact on whether you are hit or not. They also don't mitigate any damage or injuries that may affect you in your RV. Lightning travels through the air long distances, and a few inches of rubber has no affect at all.

X2

[TucsonJim]

Lilrhody wrote:
Not worried about lightning - lots of things much taller than us where we are tonight - plus we are sitting on rubber tires.

More wondering about the wind potential. N

Rubber tires have no impact on whether you are hit or not. They also don't mitigate any damage or injuries that may affect you in your RV. Lightning travels through the air long distances, and a few inches of rubber has no affect at all.

[tatest]

What dows "severe thunderstorms" mean where you are located.

Here, I lower than antenna and pull in the slideouts, because it can mean straight winds exceeding gale force, and gusts over 80 MPH. That is enough to bend an extended antenna, get under slideouts and awnings, and tumble some lighter RVs. To say nothing to having trees fall on you, been through that too.

Generally if severe thunderstorms are forecast for someplace, I will try to be someplace else, if I am in my RV. I've cancelled some campouts on forecast. Last may, tornadoes ripped through the park we would have been in, and I was happy that I had cancelled.

Other places in the country, forecasters might call lesser storms severe; here on the plains it means hunker down in the storm shelter.

[old_guy]

heck the lightning hits the antenna, it is going to go through that tv set like gang busters whether it's up or down.

[handye9]

I would lower then antenna, if winds were high. I'd be more concerned about wind damage, than lightning strikes.

[ScottG]

I absolutely would.

[Winnebago_Bob]

BB_TX wrote:
If the lightning can travel thousands of feet from the clouds to the ground, it is not going to care whether your antenna is up or down.

I don't think the lightning would be the concern - generally T-Storms (and we lived in Corpus for 7 years) have a wind component that would be the bigger concern.

[Lilrhody]

Not worried about lightning - lots of things much taller than us where we are tonight - plus we are sitting on rubber tires.

More wondering about the wind potential. N

[BB_TX]

If the lightning can travel thousands of feet from the clouds to the ground, it is not going to care whether your antenna is up or down.

[Winnebago_Bob]

Where we live the straight line winds are enough to make us drop the antenna and pull in the awning......

Only you can tell - think about the movement causing the base of the antenna to cause breaks in the sealant and you be the judge..

No brainer for me.

[Allworth]

I have never thought of that as necessary and we have been in some doozies.

It it makes you feel better, it can't hurt anything. Watch a DVD movie.