6 ms·

I've been nearly struck several times. I love lightning, and apparently it loves me right back. And wants to touch me. What I have learned is this: 1. You wil

by kposehn 13y ago

I've been nearly struck several times. I love lightning, and apparently it loves me right back. And wants to touch me. What I have learned is this: 1. You will almost never get warning before lightning strikes. Only once did I get the hair-on-end. Every other time, no warning whatsoever before discharge. However, as is obvious, highly active cloud-to-cloud lightning indicates an extremely active cell, with extreme danger. 2. Lightning can reach a /long/ way to get you. The closest call I ever had, the storm was 15 miles away. I was standing outside watching it and it struck 2 feet away from me. It wasn't a stringer either - it was a full discharge and sent me flying (more through my own surprise than physical force). 3. If you can hear thunder, you can get struck quite easily. 4. A few drops of rain increase the chances of being struck by several orders of magnitude. The atmosphere is far more conductive and therefor danger skyrockets. 5. Lightning will strike the most out-of-way/odd places. I've watched it blitz trees in a deep valley over and over again without hitting the peaks once. There is no predicting what is likely to get struck. 6. In an instable environment, any cloud that is rising rapidly is extremely suspect. I once was watching a storm that was cranking away about 10 miles off. A small cumulus tower went up next to me, but didn't look like much. 30 seconds later it discharged only about 1/4 mile away. 7. Some wikipedia entries and other sources state lightning is uncommon over water and the open ocean. This is completely untrue - there is a lot of it. If you are boating and see a squall, be prepared to book it out of there as a boat is a highly dangerous place to be during a storm. 8. A fantastic shot of the close-range effects of lightning is 00:01:15 into this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7K3m2zHEhs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7K3m2zHEhs What you'll notice about that shot is the effect it has and how very clear it is, along with how quiet it is at close range. The sparks off the metal roof, the movement of the actual channel, even the rate at which it discharges is apparent. Probably one of the best shots so far (though I welcome others!) Stay safe.

kposehn 13y ago
This is also an excellent clip showing stepped leaders in extremely slow-motion (the electrical leaders that lead to lightning strikes): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLWIBrweSU8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLWIBrweSU8
pge 13y ago
As someone who also has first hand experience with a severe lightning strike (that left one dead and 11 hospitalized) and on a separate occasion saw a lot of people with hair sticking straight up (we ran to our cars before lightning struck that time), I second this. Don't assume you're safe because you're not near a high point. Lightning strikes wherever. And never, ever, ever stand under a tree. They make great conductors, but your body (a sack of salt water) is an even better conductor, so the lightning jumps to you. Last, lightning strikes are one of the cases where CPR can be effective. The body is still well-oxygenatd, but the heart may stop from the shock, so keeping blood circulating can save a life. One other thing to be aware of, one the injuries that lightning causes is blindness (temporary but possibly lasting a couple of days). Several of those closest to the strike were blinded - it was described to me as a sunburn of the retina, where vision is not restored until the burns heals. That may not be medically accurate, but describes the experience they went through.
- kposehn 13y ago
  Glad you were unscathed (assuming). Excellent point about CPR and blindness as well.
  - rdl 13y ago
    Seems like an excellent argument for having an AED available. (I'm really torn; it's just at the price point where buying one without any particular risk factors seems crazy, but EMS in the east bay tends to suck.) (except, I just checked on eBay; a surprising number of decent machines for <$500, allegedly pulls from gyms or hospitals. I wonder how hard it is to test and recertify, and also how hard it is to figure out how many of them have just been stolen.)
    - MartinCron 13y ago
      The idea of a sub $500 AED from eBay makes me feel very nervous.
      - shabble 13y ago
kinleyd 13y ago
HN is truly amazing. It seems I had a dangerously nonchalant view of lightning in the area I live. I now consider myself well versed on its hidden dangers.
swah 13y ago
> Stay safe. HOW? The lightning entered his window...!
- H3g3m0n 13y ago
  Technically lightning would have left via the window, it goes from the ground up and just looks the other way around.
ohwp 13y ago
"You will almost never get warning before lightning strikes." Somehow animals can sense it. I've seen animals flee seconds before lightning struck.
- kposehn 13y ago
  Animals may indeed be more sensitive, but I've also seen animals not sense it at all prior. I think it is hit-or-miss (pun intended) in the end, but it would be interesting to see if anyone has done more in-depth research on it.
WillyF 13y ago
This is great advice. I had a very close call last year, and have made it a point to ensure that it never happens again. My Dad and I were on a fishing trip in Michigan and floating down the river with a guide in a long, canoe-like river boat. A storm came down the river from behind us pretty soon after we put the boat in. The guide decided to pull the boat to the side of the river under some overhanging tree branches. It didn't appear to be that big of a storm when we had looked at the radar earlier, and it was moving fast, so we weren't all that worried. At the time I wasn't sure if it we had made the best decision, but there weren't any immediately better alternatives. As the rain got heavier, and the storm got closer, we just waited. I was in the bow of the boat, and the current kept swinging me out from under the branches into the main current. Every few minutes I'd pull on the branches to give myself better cover from the rain. Eventually it really started pouring, and then hailing. The storm was right overhead, so we hunkered down. All in an instant I felt something weird come over my body (not hair standing up, just something different), I saw a bright orange flash, I screamed like a little girl, I ducked and covered my head while hearing an extremely loud crack. After maybe a second I popped up and said to my Dad and the guide "Are you okay?" I was a bit surprised to hear myself after having been so close to such a loud sound. They didn't respond. I repeated myself, and they both said, "Did you see that?" I said, "Did you hear me scream." They both said that they hadn't. My dad says that he saw a hole in the water where the lightning struck, just two or three feet from where I was sitting in the boat. The bow of the boat had been in that spot minutes before, but I had pulled it back under the trees. I wasn't holding my fishing (lightning?) rod, but I easily could have been. I felt sick. We could smell the ozone. I don't think it was a particularly big/strong bolt, but it was big enough. There was a guy across the river who had also pulled off to take cover. He was freaked out because he was so close to where the bolt struck. Then he realized how close we were. After the storm passed, we called it a day (didn't even catch a fish), and paddled back to the lodge (which was about 20 minutes downstream). About a month and a half later, we were with the same guide in the same boat, but on a different stretch of river. We thought we were clear from the storm that we saw on the radar, but this massive cell ended up right on top of us. We were right on its edge, so the lightning would get closer and then farther away and then closer again. We were smart enough to get out of the boat this time, but ended up crouching in the woods for nearly three hours hoping the storm would pass. It was pretty terrifying. I'm definitely scarred by my experience. I can't enjoy thunderstorms the way I used to. When I see the orange flash or hear the loud crack of a close strike, I'm taken back to last May and I feel kind of sick. I'm really lucky that is the only lasting effect from a few poor decisions. ------ What I've learned: 1. Don't put yourself in a bad situation. Watch the radar, and have a plan for if/when a storm is getting close. 2. Don't be afraid to travel to a safer place. There is a time to hunker down, but it's not until you really have no other options. 3. Most people don't know much about lightning safety. 4. Your friends will make fun of you for taking electrical storms seriously. Getting some crap from your friends is better than getting hit by lightning. 5. You are never totally safe. If a guy in his office chair can get hit, then you can get hit almost anywhere. Still, there is almost always a safer place to be. Get there if you have time. 6. Small storms can be more dangerous that big storms. If you hear thunder, take it seriously. 7. Take a few minutes to read up on lightning safety (http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov). It will probably be useful at some point in your life, and what you think you know is probably not 100% right. 8. Most lightning safety tips seem overly cautious. They are, but it's something uncommon enough and dangerous enough that being overly cautious is worth the aggravation.

by kposehn 13y ago

kposehn 13y ago

This is also an excellent clip showing stepped leaders in extremely slow-motion (the electrical leaders that lead to lightning strikes): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLWIBrweSU8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLWIBrweSU8

pge 13y ago

As someone who also has first hand experience with a severe lightning strike (that left one dead and 11 hospitalized) and on a separate occasion saw a lot of people with hair sticking straight up (we ran to our cars before lightning struck that time), I second this. Don't assume you're safe because you're not near a high point. Lightning strikes wherever. And never, ever, ever stand under a tree. They make great conductors, but your body (a sack of salt water) is an even better conductor, so the lightning jumps to you. Last, lightning strikes are one of the cases where CPR can be effective. The body is still well-oxygenatd, but the heart may stop from the shock, so keeping blood circulating can save a life. One other thing to be aware of, one the injuries that lightning causes is blindness (temporary but possibly lasting a couple of days). Several of those closest to the strike were blinded - it was described to me as a sunburn of the retina, where vision is not restored until the burns heals. That may not be medically accurate, but describes the experience they went through.

kposehn 13y ago
Glad you were unscathed (assuming). Excellent point about CPR and blindness as well.
- rdl 13y ago
  Seems like an excellent argument for having an AED available. (I'm really torn; it's just at the price point where buying one without any particular risk factors seems crazy, but EMS in the east bay tends to suck.) (except, I just checked on eBay; a surprising number of decent machines for <$500, allegedly pulls from gyms or hospitals. I wonder how hard it is to test and recertify, and also how hard it is to figure out how many of them have just been stolen.)
  - MartinCron 13y ago
    The idea of a sub $500 AED from eBay makes me feel very nervous.
    - shabble 13y ago

kinleyd 13y ago

HN is truly amazing. It seems I had a dangerously nonchalant view of lightning in the area I live. I now consider myself well versed on its hidden dangers.

swah 13y ago

> Stay safe. HOW? The lightning entered his window...!

H3g3m0n 13y ago
Technically lightning would have left via the window, it goes from the ground up and just looks the other way around.

ohwp 13y ago

"You will almost never get warning before lightning strikes." Somehow animals can sense it. I've seen animals flee seconds before lightning struck.

kposehn 13y ago
Animals may indeed be more sensitive, but I've also seen animals not sense it at all prior. I think it is hit-or-miss (pun intended) in the end, but it would be interesting to see if anyone has done more in-depth research on it.

WillyF 13y ago

This is great advice. I had a very close call last year, and have made it a point to ensure that it never happens again. My Dad and I were on a fishing trip in Michigan and floating down the river with a guide in a long, canoe-like river boat. A storm came down the river from behind us pretty soon after we put the boat in. The guide decided to pull the boat to the side of the river under some overhanging tree branches. It didn't appear to be that big of a storm when we had looked at the radar earlier, and it was moving fast, so we weren't all that worried. At the time I wasn't sure if it we had made the best decision, but there weren't any immediately better alternatives. As the rain got heavier, and the storm got closer, we just waited. I was in the bow of the boat, and the current kept swinging me out from under the branches into the main current. Every few minutes I'd pull on the branches to give myself better cover from the rain. Eventually it really started pouring, and then hailing. The storm was right overhead, so we hunkered down. All in an instant I felt something weird come over my body (not hair standing up, just something different), I saw a bright orange flash, I screamed like a little girl, I ducked and covered my head while hearing an extremely loud crack. After maybe a second I popped up and said to my Dad and the guide "Are you okay?" I was a bit surprised to hear myself after having been so close to such a loud sound. They didn't respond. I repeated myself, and they both said, "Did you see that?" I said, "Did you hear me scream." They both said that they hadn't. My dad says that he saw a hole in the water where the lightning struck, just two or three feet from where I was sitting in the boat. The bow of the boat had been in that spot minutes before, but I had pulled it back under the trees. I wasn't holding my fishing (lightning?) rod, but I easily could have been. I felt sick. We could smell the ozone. I don't think it was a particularly big/strong bolt, but it was big enough. There was a guy across the river who had also pulled off to take cover. He was freaked out because he was so close to where the bolt struck. Then he realized how close we were. After the storm passed, we called it a day (didn't even catch a fish), and paddled back to the lodge (which was about 20 minutes downstream). About a month and a half later, we were with the same guide in the same boat, but on a different stretch of river. We thought we were clear from the storm that we saw on the radar, but this massive cell ended up right on top of us. We were right on its edge, so the lightning would get closer and then farther away and then closer again. We were smart enough to get out of the boat this time, but ended up crouching in the woods for nearly three hours hoping the storm would pass. It was pretty terrifying. I'm definitely scarred by my experience. I can't enjoy thunderstorms the way I used to. When I see the orange flash or hear the loud crack of a close strike, I'm taken back to last May and I feel kind of sick. I'm really lucky that is the only lasting effect from a few poor decisions. ------ What I've learned: 1. Don't put yourself in a bad situation. Watch the radar, and have a plan for if/when a storm is getting close. 2. Don't be afraid to travel to a safer place. There is a time to hunker down, but it's not until you really have no other options. 3. Most people don't know much about lightning safety. 4. Your friends will make fun of you for taking electrical storms seriously. Getting some crap from your friends is better than getting hit by lightning. 5. You are never totally safe. If a guy in his office chair can get hit, then you can get hit almost anywhere. Still, there is almost always a safer place to be. Get there if you have time. 6. Small storms can be more dangerous that big storms. If you hear thunder, take it seriously. 7. Take a few minutes to read up on lightning safety (http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov). It will probably be useful at some point in your life, and what you think you know is probably not 100% right. 8. Most lightning safety tips seem overly cautious. They are, but it's something uncommon enough and dangerous enough that being overly cautious is worth the aggravation.