It may be caused by static electricity, as explained by the Meteorological Bureau. "Tourists from Turpan have hair standing upright like hedgehogs." Nine factions | staff | hair
On August 15th, a video online caught the attention of netizens. Several tourists visiting Turpan, Xinjiang suddenly had their hair standing upright in the air around their heads, like hedgehogs.
Experts have pointed out that in thunderstorms, if there are signs of hair standing up, especially on the mountaintop, it is likely a sign of lightning strikes.
When tourists were playing in the desert, their hair suddenly stood upright like a hedgehog. Feng Minxue, director of the Jiangsu Provincial Lightning Protection Center, introduced that it is not the best strategy for everyone to run quickly when encountering similar situations. "If the hair is just dry and there is a bit of static electricity, there is still time to leave. If the hair is already erect, it cannot run. Where can a person run faster than lightning? Electricity is the speed of light, how fast can a person run? Olympic champions can also rest in front of it!" Moreover, running can form a stepping voltage, which is even more troublesome.
The correct approach should be to first lower your height. If you don't have time to leave the mountaintop, squat down on the spot and try to bring your feet together. Avoid touching the ground with your hands and hold your head between your knees to reduce contact with the ground, but don't lie on the ground.
On the morning of the 16th, Jiupai News contacted a staff member of the Meteorological Disaster Prevention Technology Center of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Meteorological Bureau. He said that he had also carefully observed the video, and the background was indeed desert, with clouds in the sky. However, this situation may not have been caused by lightning weather, but by static electricity.
The staff member explained that if it is really thunderstorm weather, the higher and more prominent one stands, the greater the possibility of being struck by lightning, and the situation of hair standing upright should be more obvious, including short hair.
In the video, except for two girls who had upright hair, several men who stood higher did not show such a situation.
He also stated that the follow-up measures taken by several tourists in the video were correct and recommended by the Meteorological Disaster Prevention Technology Center.
From a protective perspective, once you feel that thunderstorm weather is approaching, it is recommended that you do not stay at high places, near water or large trees, do not answer or make phone calls, and go to indoor or car shelters with evacuation facilities as soon as possible.
The above-mentioned staff told Jiupai News that the Meteorological Disaster Prevention Technology Center had not received any reports of such situations in the desert before. The thunderstorm weather in desert areas is relatively rare, and as long as corresponding protective measures are taken and timely avoidance is carried out, there will be no problems.
