Weather-related myths and beliefs have been passed down through generations. From unplugging electronic devices to covering mirrors and avoiding baths, many Filipinos continue to believe in these practices, some of which remain common to this day.
In the Philippines, thunderstorm superstitions vary across the country. Some believe that placing scissors, knives, or other metal objects outside the house can drive lightning away. In some places, wearing red-colored clothes during a thunderstorm is strictly prohibited because of the belief that this increases the likelihood of being struck by lightning.
While many of these beliefs have no scientific basis, experts say previous generations sometimes had practical reasons for passing down certain warnings.
But what does science actually say about these beliefs?
Lolas were right… somehow
Have your parents or grandparents ever forbidden you from bathing during a thunderstorm? The elders said you might get struck by lightning. This is among the most common thunderstorm superstitions in the country.
However, because lightning strikes inside a home are very rare, many Filipinos dismiss this safety warning.
“This actually has a scientific basis. Why? Because your plumbing—especially when you are bathing and are wet—is connected to the water supply. If lightning strikes your house and the electrical current travels directly into your plumbing system, you’re in trouble. You could still get struck by lightning,” Lean Michael Malabanan said.
Malabanan is a weather specialist at the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA).
According to experts, when lightning strikes or comes near a building, the electrical current can travel through conductive pathways to the ground. Metal pipes and the water flowing through them can conduct electrical current, creating a potential pathway to a person using plumbing fixtures.
Aside from that, Malabanan said elders were also right about unplugging electronic devices such as televisions and refrigerators during thunderstorms.
“Parents were actually right back then [about the risk of the TV getting damaged—or your appliances getting ruined]. There is a valid basis for that. You see, if lightning strikes the house, the electrical surge could enter the appliances and destroy them. That would be a waste,” Malabanan explained.
Therefore, while some of these beliefs may have originated as superstitions, certain traditional warnings can encourage safer behavior during thunderstorms. So yes, our “lolas” were kind of right… somehow.
However, it is important to note that there are also beliefs that should be corrected and properly explained to the public because they may influence how people respond to the hazard.
For instance, in some places, Filipinos believe that placing sharp objects such as knives and scissors outside the house can drive rain and lightning away. Experts, however, said this practice can be more dangerous.
“It is also not true that metal objects—such as knives, scissors, and the like—repel lightning. In fact, they are actually more dangerous. What you can do is install a lightning rod to protect your electronics and your home’s electrical system. That way, instead of the lightning striking your appliances, it will be directed to the lightning rod—and from there, it will be channeled into the ground,” Malabanan said.
A lightning rod is a metal conductor installed on a structure as part of a lightning protection system. It provides a controlled path for lightning current to reach the ground, helping protect the structure from damage.
Another belief is that jewelry attracts lightning. It does not. However, experts explain that wearing metal jewelry does not make a person more likely to be struck, although it may contribute to localized burns if lightning strikes the person.
“The painful part about wearing jewelry during a thunderstorm is that if you get struck by lightning, the metal heats up. For instance, if it’s gold or silver—since it’s a metallic object—it becomes extremely hot. So, aside from the electric shock, you will also suffer burns,” Malabanan said.
More importantly, jewelry does not make it safe to remain outdoors during a thunderstorm. The safest response is to seek shelter indoors regardless of whether a person is wearing jewelry.
Malabanan added that one of the most widespread but scientifically incorrect beliefs is that using mobile phones is dangerous during a thunderstorm. Most of us have probably heard that from our parents before, or even now.
“A cellphone does not emit a signal strong enough to attract lightning. However, keep in mind that if a device is plugged into a wall outlet—whether it’s a TV, an appliance, or anything else—you should unplug it during a thunderstorm. This is because if lightning strikes your house, your appliances could be affected or damaged,” Malabanan said.
Indeed, whether or not these beliefs are true, experts said it is more important for the public to take necessary precautions and stay indoors during thunderstorms than to simply follow superstitions.
What causes lightning and thunder?
Thunderstorms are common in the Philippines, occurring year-round because of the country’s tropical climate, high humidity, and warm temperatures, according to weather experts.
While thunderstorms can occur more frequently during warm and dry periods, experts from the DOST said they are also likely during the “habagat” season, or southwest monsoon, because of the continuous supply of moisture.
“Lightning is a massive discharge of static electricity within a thunderstorm. So, how does static electricity form? If we look back at the process of how a thunderstorm develops, we need three main ingredients: moisture, a lifting mechanism, and atmospheric instability,” Marco Polo Ibañez said.
Ibañez is also a weather specialist and a storm chaser member of DOST-PAGASA.
During a thunderstorm, there is what is known as an updraft. Ibañez explained that these are strong vertical air currents that cause thunderstorms to develop and grow larger.
These updrafts also carry particles, such as cloud droplets, within the cloud to higher elevations. As the particles rise, temperatures decrease until they reach the freezing layer.
“Once that threshold is exceeded, the cloud droplets undergo a phase change; they freeze into ice crystals. The interaction—specifically the collisions—between these solid ice crystals inside the cloud is what generates a charge difference. When that charge difference becomes excessive, a spark is produced, which is what we see as lightning. Thunder, on the other hand, is the sound created by lightning,” Ibañez explained.
Lightning and thunder are produced by the same event, but we see the lightning before hearing the thunder because light travels much faster than sound. The speed of light is around 300,000 kilometers per second, whereas the speed of sound is about 343 meters per second under typical conditions.
Consequently, we see the lightning first before we hear the sound of thunder.
How are thunderstorms forecast?
Thunderstorms form over a very short period of time. Ibañez said they can develop in as little as two to three hours.
At DOST-PAGASA, this is referred to as “nowcasting,” since it deals with the immediate future, as opposed to standard forecasting, which covers the next day or beyond.
According to Ibañez, DOST-PAGASA has regional services divisions to monitor thunderstorms because they are highly localized phenomena.
“If the forecasting is done at the national level, it will cover the entire Philippines [thus] it is better to have a regional services division. The primary tools we use are weather radars and synoptic stations,” Ibañez explained.
These weather radars scan data every 10 minutes, allowing experts to monitor cloud development in real time within the area of responsibility of the PRSD, or the DOST-PAGASA Regional Services Division.
To determine whether conditions are favorable for thunderstorm formation, weather forecasters also use upper-air sounding data collected using a weather balloon, which is launched by DOST-PAGASA at 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Under the PRSDs, DOST-PAGASA has two thunderstorm products: the thunderstorm watch and the thunderstorm advisory.
“The thunderstorm watch simply gives an indication from [DOST-]PAGASA whether a thunderstorm is highly likely or not likely to occur within the next 12 hours. However, for the next three to six hours, DOST-PAGASA issues thunderstorm advisories. DOST-PAGASA provides these advisories through municipal-level maps showing areas, which are likely to experience and which are currently being affected by thunderstorms,” Ibañez said.
The public can access these advisories on the Facebook pages of the different PRSDs and through DOST-PAGASA’s flagship project, PANaHON (PAGASA Nationwide Hydrometeorological Observation Network), a web and mobile app.
The mobile application provides localized, real-time warnings depending on the user’s location.
It can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store for Android users and the App Store for iOS devices.
PAGASA is one of the attached agencies of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), aimed at providing science-based, innovative, and inclusive solutions across four strategic pillars: human well-being, wealth creation, wealth protection, and sustainability. These pillars embody the mantra “OneDOST4U: Solutions and Opportunities for All”.
Republishing Note: This article was originally published by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and is being republished for public information and dissemination purposes, with minor editorial adjustments for clarity and style. The article was written by Claire Bernadette Mondares, DOST-STII. All rights to the original content remain with DOST and the respective author.
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