The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) activated a red alert on Saturday for torrential rain in Aragon and Catalonia, with up to 90 litres per square metre expected in an hour. Late at night, the agency deactivated the storm warnings as the cold drop that had hit the peninsula, especially in the northeast, moved away.
During the rains, many choose to stay at home and take shelter from the storm and bad weather. In fact, many people even enjoy staying at home during periods of rain and storms and binge-watching TV series or films. However, when storms have a very powerful electrical component, it is advisable to disconnect electronic devices from the mains if you do not want them to be damaged.
It is clear that if a thunderstorm catches us outside, we should never take shelter under a tree. We should also be careful with large bodies of water, such as the sea, rivers or lakes, but if we are lucky enough to be at home and the electrical discharges are very powerful, we should unplug all electronic devices from the mains.
Most buildings have a lightning rod that absorbs electrical energy and electrical systems adapted to possible power surges. Despite this, it is advisable to unplug all electrical appliances from the mains, and although we know this, there is something we do not usually do and which is the main cause of problems caused by thunderstorms: televisions.
The antenna cable
When disconnecting devices during a storm, it is usually sufficient to turn off the power strip or directly disconnect the plug from the power outlet. But we must not forget the other cables that are connected to these devices. In the case of televisions, simply turning them off or unplugging the power cable is not enough. The greatest risk in this case is, as we have said, the antenna cable.
