Halloween is just around the corner, and this gets us thinking about the ghosts and ghouls.

When thunder roars, you head indoors, but does it cause paranormal activity to come out?

I talked to Patrick Welsh, the founder and lead investigator at the Paranormal Society of Savannah, Ga., one of the most haunted cities in the U.S., to find out if thunderstorms can really help boost spooky activity.

The law of conservation of energy says that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can change from one form of energy to another.

With this definition in mind, Welsh says, paranormal beings need energy, electrical or body energy to manifest. This means they must take energy from a source to do it.

Welsh also states that they can appear four different ways:

1. Visual or full body apparitions: The ghost appears in a physical-like form.
   
2. Sounds: Doors opening and closing, knocks, music or voices.
3. Smells: Perfume and colognes, flower smells, and cigar/pipe/cigarette smoke are a few examples.
4. Cold spots: Sudden drops in temperature by 10 degrees or more

According to Welsh, paranormal beings pull energy from electrical currents, which gives them the power to appear or speak.

Lightning within a thunderstorm can provide the necessary energy needed to help a paranormal being manifest.

However, he says it only works about 75% of the time.

Still, the odds are good if you’re trying to see some ghostly activity.

Remember, we don't know if the paranormal beings want to harm you, but thunderstorms are definitely dangerous, and lightning can strike miles away from a storm.

So, if you’re going to ghost hunt, Welsh recommends investigating inside the haunted buildings on a stormy day.

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