patrick_g
Elite Member
I think most of us are at least a little less safety conscious about lightning than is prudent. A "BOLT FROM THE BLUE" (lightning when you are under a blue (often cloudless) sky has killed several people. Lightning strikes several miles in front of an approaching storm or behind a departing one not only close to the main part of the storm.
By the time you hear thunder or see the flashes of an approaching storm you are already in the kill zone. I learned a stupid habit from my storm worrying folks but I no longer go rushing outside to look at approaching or departing storms (having read extensively on the topic.) A good source of accurate info is the National Weather Service.
Such as ==> NWS Pueblo Lightning Page
The attached photo is of cows who happened to be standing near a fence when lightning hit close to the fence.
According to insurance statistics there are people killed every year by lightning sending a high voltage shock through the phone wires while they were talking on a corded phone.
A friend of mine was watching TV in his living room to get storm information (many Oklahomans are storm conscious due to being in tornado alley) when lightning literally blew up his TV and sent a ball of glowing plasma the size of a basket ball shooting out of the TV across the room at him. It bounced on the floor glanced across him went through an open door and dissipated. He only got tingled and surprised and no other damage was done but the TV was a total loss. I didn't ask about his underwear.
Tractors without metal tops on fully enclosed cabs are not safe places to be in a lightning storm. I gave that up too. I used to like to sit on the porch and watch storms, gave that up too (but I still watch from an enclosed porch when it is facing correctly.) Statistics say you don't even want to be right next to a window. Darn.
I do recall something from personal experience that reminds me of just how smart many folks are about lightning. I was at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. We were seated outdoors near an opening used by bats to ingress/egress to/from the cavern below. The rangers had a permanent podium with a PA system. You could hear lightning crash static over the PA from EMP from the strokes. The lead ranger went to the mike and announced that lightning tends to be attracted to discontinuities, things such as the opening into the cave used by the bats. He said that it was not safe to stay in the area and that he and all the ranger personnel were leaving out of consideration for personal safety and suggested that all we visitors do the same.
Immediately there are two or three folks who rush up to ask if they can stay to take pictures of the bats coming out anyway. The ranger with a pained expression on his face said the visitors should not stay but that the rangers were not police and would not make them leave but to be informed that the bats were too smart to come out during a thunderstorm! We left as the first few drops hit and were in hail before we got to the camper. A couple die hard BOZOS stayed to take bat pix. I guess they didn't believe the Ranger when he said the bats were too smart to come out in a storm. After the storm (really rocked the camper) there was a couple inches of hail in the parking lot.
Pat
Pat
By the time you hear thunder or see the flashes of an approaching storm you are already in the kill zone. I learned a stupid habit from my storm worrying folks but I no longer go rushing outside to look at approaching or departing storms (having read extensively on the topic.) A good source of accurate info is the National Weather Service.
Such as ==> NWS Pueblo Lightning Page
The attached photo is of cows who happened to be standing near a fence when lightning hit close to the fence.
According to insurance statistics there are people killed every year by lightning sending a high voltage shock through the phone wires while they were talking on a corded phone.
A friend of mine was watching TV in his living room to get storm information (many Oklahomans are storm conscious due to being in tornado alley) when lightning literally blew up his TV and sent a ball of glowing plasma the size of a basket ball shooting out of the TV across the room at him. It bounced on the floor glanced across him went through an open door and dissipated. He only got tingled and surprised and no other damage was done but the TV was a total loss. I didn't ask about his underwear.
Tractors without metal tops on fully enclosed cabs are not safe places to be in a lightning storm. I gave that up too. I used to like to sit on the porch and watch storms, gave that up too (but I still watch from an enclosed porch when it is facing correctly.) Statistics say you don't even want to be right next to a window. Darn.
I do recall something from personal experience that reminds me of just how smart many folks are about lightning. I was at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. We were seated outdoors near an opening used by bats to ingress/egress to/from the cavern below. The rangers had a permanent podium with a PA system. You could hear lightning crash static over the PA from EMP from the strokes. The lead ranger went to the mike and announced that lightning tends to be attracted to discontinuities, things such as the opening into the cave used by the bats. He said that it was not safe to stay in the area and that he and all the ranger personnel were leaving out of consideration for personal safety and suggested that all we visitors do the same.
Immediately there are two or three folks who rush up to ask if they can stay to take pictures of the bats coming out anyway. The ranger with a pained expression on his face said the visitors should not stay but that the rangers were not police and would not make them leave but to be informed that the bats were too smart to come out during a thunderstorm! We left as the first few drops hit and were in hail before we got to the camper. A couple die hard BOZOS stayed to take bat pix. I guess they didn't believe the Ranger when he said the bats were too smart to come out in a storm. After the storm (really rocked the camper) there was a couple inches of hail in the parking lot.
Pat
Pat
. Jay
