Britons told to watch for spate of electric shocks as dry conditions produce unusual weather phenomenon

Nathan Rao
Thu, 23 Apr 2026 07:48:22 +0000

Arid continental winds charge-loaded with electrical static are about to cause sparks to fly across the UK.

Britons are warned to watch over the coming days for crackling jolts jumping from hands to surfaces.

Unusually dry weather will allow the air to fill with static charge, driving a spate of electric shocks.

Alex Burkill, a meteorologist at the Met Office, explained that during periods of low humidity, negatively charged electrons build on the human body before zapping with a snap onto handles, surfaces and car doors.

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He said: “When humidity is higher, it helps the static charge and electricity to leak away harmlessly, but when there isn’t as much water in the air is sticks around and builds up on you until you touch a surface and that is when you feel a static shock.

“So don’t be surprised if you get a few more of these as we go through the week.

“It is more common during the winter months, but over the next few days with the very dry air across us, there is an increased chance of the odd static shock.”

High humidity allows airborne static to clear largely unnoticed, but when the air lacks water vapour, it can accumulate.

This typically happens during winter as dry air in heated homes gathers charge and causes sparks to jump from surfaces.

Low humidity is forecast through the end of April thanks to an unusual ‘Omega Block’ – a pattern of pressure with high pressure and low pressure straddled on weather charts to resemble the Greek letter – dragging winds over the Continent.

Mr Burkill said: “High pressure is sitting to the north of the UK, and although there are low pressure systems around, it is high pressure that is dominating the weather.

“It is an omega block, and it is this situation that is going to stick with us for a while, and for the rest of the month it is looking pretty dry.

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“Really dry air could lead to us getting some static shocks, because when we have an easterly and we have really dry air across us, that increases the chance of static build up.”

Britain faces an unusually dry outlook through the rest of the month as high pressure glues stubbornly over the country.

But rather than pulling warm winds in from the south, it will draw a Continental flow from the east.

Air circulates high in the atmosphere before sinking, compressing, and warming to raise temperatures at ground level.

Mr Burkill said: “If we get air from the west, it is travelling over the Atlantic and picking up moisture, but if it is coming from the near Continent, across land, it is drying, and this dry air could lead to something interesting.

“The air is sinking as it comes towards us, and it is warming up as it sinks and compresses, and by the time the air reaches us it is going to be quite warm.

“By the end of the week, the air is coming from the North Sea and clipping the near Continent, and this leads to some very dry air over many parts of the UK.”