Just a quickie please . .
Do you use your computer doing a storm?
Is it safe?
Do you unplug your telly and phone?
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Yes to using it in a storm,is it safe,why not? no to unplugging the tv or phone.
I don’t know Caricature. That’s why I was asking. 
I know some people unplug telly’s and I once had a storm damage my landline too, so that is what made me wonder about computers.
Yes I still use mine. I don’t unplug anything.
I thought it was a bit of an old wives tale. I remember my grandma unplugging everything & covering all the mirrors up!
Yes, I remember my Mum doing that too, Carol.
I would really like to know if it’s an old wives tale or not though?
I’ve got everything TV-related plugged into anti-surge extension leads. My desktop isn’t - don’t really care about this going flash bang as it’s about 4 or 5yrs old and could do with replacing.
We have sage growing in a pot by the front door, keeps the evil spirits out.
No. I don’t bother with either. TV supplies are double insulated, i.e. no earth so not affected by lightning strikes. My PC is fed via an anti-surge socket to keep mains spikes and lightning from damaging it.
Yes but you could also used one of these to trip in
Is is an old version but if your having a lot of lightning hits affecting your computer then an anti surge backup is worth getting. This unit kicks in so you still have power to shut down safely
link
Had to have it when we had the kennels power cuts were quite common and it saved a lot of trouble
I agree with that.
Most of the stuff I deal with is 400Vrms and upwards. I can’t recall transient significant voltages.
I don’t turn anything off, maybe I’m taking a risk … I don’t know
I think it’s to do with lighting hitting the tv aerial, if it did that then it would travel down the cable and wouldn’t matter if the tv was plugged in or not
It may not be necessary to turn off at the mains but I do it anyway. There can be momentary power cuts during storms and I’m not sure that these short power interruptions are good for computers or other electronic equipment. They should be able to cope but there can always exceptions to the rule. Also, if a strike local on power lines occurs, there is the possibility of a power surge or spike. Surge protectors should work but I don’t put complete faith in them. If the power does go out completely for a while, I don’t turn the switches back on until the power is restored and stable.
I have seen the results strikes on houses. One hit a TV aerial and came down the cable. The co-ax was burnt to a frazzle along its entire length. The cable ran past the budgie cage and the budgie was killed. The charge blew the TV up, mostly around the aerial socket and tuner but other places on the PCB as well. It became an ex-television. Unplugging at the mains wouldn’t have stopped this but unplugging the aerial might have. Then again, what a good job they weren’t in the process of unplugging it when the strike happened.
Another strike incident I went to had picked up the carpet from around the edges of the room and heaped it into the middle. It was thought this was because of a tubular steel coffee table that was in the middle of the floor. The chrome plating on the tubular steel had gone the colour of a motorbike exhaust pipe. Other damage too …including the TV of course, which is why I was there.
Maybe seeing those cases is what has made me a bit cautious. Perhaps unnecessarily but it doesn’t make any difference to anyone else if I do it, so I think it’s OK. 
Center for Security.
East Greenbush, New York‎;
Not altogether pertinent for British weather.
I don’t use the computer during a storm and always switch the TV off at the mains (but don’t unplug it).
I don’t use the phone during a storm either.
Thank you for the link Tabby, I will have a read.
If a storm is very loud and sounds close by, I switch my telly off too Pesta, but I also unplug mine and unplug the ariel too. I also unplug my phone line - then usually forget to re-connect it.
I didn’t know what to do about my computer though, because I seem to remember hearing about power surges when the power is restored, but don’t really understand electrics much.
It only takes a minute, so I think perhaps better to be safe than sorry? 
Thanks everyone, for your comments on this, much appreciated.
I suppose it’s because I don’t understand this sort of thing that it worries me and I didn’t know what to do for the best.
I am grateful for everyone’s thoughts, although I’m afraid it’s no good telling me about bits of fancy equipment or how my wiring should be, because I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.
So I really needed a simple answer to a straightforward question - To unplug , or not to unplug?
If in doubt pull the plug out. 