Lightning Strikes

[taxexile]

last week i was watching an approaching thunderstorm from my balcony , and the nearer it got the more spectacular it became.

the clouds and lightning strikes were about 5 or more kilometers away.

suddenly i felt as if there was a lot of static in the air and then there was an almighty flash and an instantaneous deafening thunderclap , the strike was about a kilometer away and seemed to hit a field nearby.

needless to say i scurried indoors and shut the balcony doors and watched the rest of the storm from inside.

my question is , is there a chance of being hit by lightning when standing well back , but nevertheless outside on a balcony , the balcony is roofed and the building has lightning rods on the roof , and can lightning strike through glass , or will it always just strike the highest point of a building ?

Edited August 26, 2007 by taxexile

[DFCarlson]

Lightning always follows the path of least resistance to ground, and sometimes that path is through buildings and people. Doesn't happen often but it certainly is possible.

[soundman]

last week i was watching an approaching thunderstorm from my balcony , and the nearer it got the more spectacular it became.

the clouds and lightning strikes were about 5 or more kilometers away.

suddenly i felt as if there was a lot of static in the air and then there was an almighty flash and an instantaneous deafening thunderclap , the strike was about a kilometer away and seemed to hit a field nearby.

needless to say i scurried indoors and shut the balcony doors and watched the rest of the storm from inside.

my question is , is there a chance of being hit by lightning when standing well back , but nevertheless outside on a balcony , the balcony is roofed and the building has lightning rods on the roof , and can lightning strike through glass , or will it always just strike the highest point of a building ?

Lightning will always take the path of least resistance to the gound (in theory anyway). A grounded lightning rod is theoretically a less resistive path than glass & human flesh.

I was almost struck by lightning two years ago. The lightning didn't hit the lightning rod on top of a nearby building, it however struck a (much lower) power pole about 10m away from where I was walking. Scared the living daylights out of me. Will not venture outside in the middle of an electric storm after that.

Soundman.

[Big Guy]

there are quite a lot of people around the world struck by lightning each year but the odds on winning the lottery are still much higher so its not something i would worry about unnecessarily about

[ElectricNorth]

More chance of being killed by a raging TukTuk driver or a member of the Raving Monster Loony Party than being struck by lightning.

Enjoy the storms and keep out of the path of TukTuk drivers instead

[cdnvic]

That's a great photo Tax

Here's the official word on lightning safety from a few reliable sources.

http://www.mb.ec.gc.ca/air/summersevere/ae00s19.en.html

http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/safety/lightning.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_safety

[taxexile]

thanks , cd , useful info there.

this is from one of those sites.

To judge how close lightning is, count the seconds between the flash and the thunder clap. Each second represents about 300 metres. If you can count less than 30 seconds between the lightning strike and the thunder, the storm is less than 10 km away and there is an 80 percent chance the next strike will happen within that 10 km. If you count less than 30 seconds, take shelter, preferably in a house or all-metal automobile (not a convertible top) or in a low-lying area.

Lightning may strike several kilometres away from the parent cloud and precautions should be taken even if the thunderstorm is not directly overhead.

Learn the 30-30 rule

Take appropriate shelter when you can count 30 seconds or less between lightning and thunder.

Remain sheltered for 30 minutes after the last thunder.

If caught outdoors:

Keep a safe distance from tall objects, such as trees, hilltops, and telephone poles.

Avoid projecting above the surrounding landscape. Seek shelter in low-lying areas such as valleys, ditches and depressions but be aware of flooding.

Stay away from water. Don't go boating or swimming if a storm threatens and land as quickly as possible if you are on the water. Lightning can strike the water and travel some distance from its point of contact. Don't stand in puddles even if you are wearing rubber boots.

Stay away from objects that conduct electricity , such as tractors, golf carts, golf clubs, metal fences, motorcycles, lawnmowers and bicycles.

Avoid being the highest point in an open area. Swinging a golf club or holding an umbrella or fishing rod can make you the tallest object and a target for lightning. Take off shoes with metal cleats.

You are safe inside a car during lightning , but don't park near or under trees or other tall objects which may topple over during a storm. Be aware of downed power lines which may be touching your car. You are safe inside the car, but you may receive a shock if you step outside.

In a forest , seek shelter in a low-lying area under a thick growth of small trees or bushes.

Keep alert for flash floods , sometimes caused by heavy rainfall, if seeking shelter in a ditch or low-lying area.

If caught in a level field far from shelter and you feel your hair stand on end, lightning may be about to hit you. Kneel on the ground immediately, with feet together, place your hands on your knees and bend forward. Don't lie flat.

If you are in a group in the open , spread out, keeping people several yards apart.

Indoor Precautions:

Before the storm hits , disconnect electrical appliances including radios and television sets. Do not touch them during the storm.

Don't go outside unless absolutely necessary.

Keep away from doors, windows, fireplaces , and anything that will conduct electricity, such as radiators, stoves, sinks, and metal pipes. Keep as many walls as possible between you and the outside.

Don't handle electrical equipment or telephones. Use battery operated appliances only.

Note: Persons who have been struck by lightning receive an electrical shock but do not carry an electrical charge and can be safely handled. Victims may be suffering from burns or shock and should receive medical attention immediately. If breathing has stopped, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation should be administered. If breathing and pulse are absent, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation is required.

[chownah]

there are quite a lot of people around the world struck by lightning each year but the odds on winning the lottery are still much higher so its not something i would worry about unnecessarily about

Since I never bet on the lottery the chances of me winning are zero....and since you say that my chances of winning the lottery is much higher than my chances of being struck by lightening does this guarantee then that I won't be struck by lightening?

[sbk]

My husband was out cast net fishing in the sea in front of our house a few years back, a storm appeared to be on the other side of Koh Samui from us (at the very least 6k away) when suddenly, out of nowhere, a lightning bolt struck a large rock about 100m away, so close he saw sparks fly off the rock. He made it back to the house in record time, the next 100m sprinting world record holder

[sbk]

And then there is this poor kid who was struck by lightning while mowing the lawn. He had his ipod on and the lightning strike caused severe damage because of his Ipod.

Snopes (the urban legend website) even has an interesting article about lightning strikes and electronic devices: gets me off the phone when one of the big storms moves into the area

[Carmine6]

last week i was watching an approaching thunderstorm from my balcony , and the nearer it got the more spectacular it became.

the clouds and lightning strikes were about 5 or more kilometers away.

suddenly i felt as if there was a lot of static in the air and then there was an almighty flash and an instantaneous deafening thunderclap , the strike was about a kilometer away and seemed to hit a field nearby.

needless to say i scurried indoors and shut the balcony doors and watched the rest of the storm from inside.

my question is , is there a chance of being hit by lightning when standing well back , but nevertheless outside on a balcony , the balcony is roofed and the building has lightning rods on the roof , and can lightning strike through glass , or will it always just strike the highest point of a building ?

Great picture.

[astral]

This is what happens when it comes to ground.

My neighbour's electricity meter, after the strike.

[Carmine6]

This is what happens when it comes to ground.

My neighbour's electricity meter, after the strike.

Guess the good news is they couldn't read the meter to charge him for the prior month's usage.

Hope his electronic devices survived.

[Tony Clifton]

This is what happens when it comes to ground.

My neighbour's electricity meter, after the strike.

Guess the good news is they couldn't read the meter to charge him for the prior month's usage.

Hope his electronic devices survived.

Ha! Fat chance.

They took our meter away during construction because of an outstanding 35 baht bill.

[steveromagnino]

We sail and it is quite common for there to be a lightening storm in the distance; it has come as close as probably 1km from the lightening (or so it appeared) to my boat. There isn't much you can do as often the storms are on the land, so going to the marina is sailing towards the area rather than away.

The advice is generally not to touch the mast or any rigging and turn all electronics off; the idea of the lightening cone on a boat to provide protection is debated as to whether they work or not.

In general out on the water, the lightening seems to always be most prevalent in the area where it is very humid but preceding the storm; where the particles get all charged up but before the rain is actually falling.

Our own expectation is that the lightening is travelling several kilometres already, so the last choice of wether to go to my mast 10m tall, or the sea itself, is the last tiny little part of it's journey. The same applies for buildings; in general the lightening hits the rods, but certainly not always. I would not be too keen to stand out on your balcony, but the odds are very very low.

And my apartment has been hit by lightening already; all lights wiring and the TV fried as the current passed through. My boat hasn't, but plenty of friends have had to replace all electronics after a direct hit that fried all their navigation gear.

No need to be too paranoid, but strikes do happen.

[astral]

This is what happens when it comes to ground.

My neighbour's electricity meter, after the strike.

Guess the good news is they couldn't read the meter to charge him for the prior month's usage.

Hope his electronic devices survived.

Several month later the meter had still not been replaced.

They were sending bills based on the previous month's charges.

I don't know about any electronics, but I am told that the house will need

rewiring as the insulation will be shot after the lightning bolt...........

[toptuan]

Yesterday, as I was making my way home on my motorcycle at the forefront of an approaching lightning storm, I felt somewhat secure because of the rubber tires insulating me from "grounding" to the earth. Same principle as a car, right? Furthermore, it wasn't raining yet, so as not to increase my chances of "conductivity."

Now, I'm not so sure after reading this thread-- ("don't project above the surrounding landscape" for example. I was definitely higher than the surrounding rice fields, but lower than the telephone poles). Any truth to the rubber motorcycle tires helping to insulate against grounding? Your thoughts?

Yup, I'm not a Science Teacher,

TT

[Carmine6]

Yesterday, as I was making my way home on my motorcycle at the forefront of an approaching lightning storm, I felt somewhat secure because of the rubber tires insulating me from "grounding" to the earth. Same principle as a car, right? Furthermore, it wasn't raining yet, so as not to increase my chances of "conductivity."

Now, I'm not so sure after reading this thread-- ("don't project above the surrounding landscape" for example. I was definitely higher than the surrounding rice fields, but lower than the telephone poles). Any truth to the rubber motorcycle tires helping to insulate against grounding? Your thoughts?

Yup, I'm not a Science Teacher,

TT

If it is ok, the big dilemma is what to do if you have to stop for some reason and put your feet down.

[toptuan]

Yesterday, as I was making my way home on my motorcycle at the forefront of an approaching lightning storm, I felt somewhat secure because of the rubber tires insulating me from "grounding" to the earth. Same principle as a car, right? Furthermore, it wasn't raining yet, so as not to increase my chances of "conductivity."

Now, I'm not so sure after reading this thread-- ("don't project above the surrounding landscape" for example. I was definitely higher than the surrounding rice fields, but lower than the telephone poles). Any truth to the rubber motorcycle tires helping to insulate against grounding? Your thoughts?

Yup, I'm not a Science Teacher,

TT

If it is ok, the big dilemma is what to do if you have to stop for some reason and put your feet down.

I'll first just go get under a big, dry tree before I do that!

[Dustoff]

I LOVE lightning! It's one of those events that totally demonstrates the power of nature while at the same time scaring the crap out of us. It is a natural event that makes golfing a more dangerous sport than hang-gliding.

Having flown extensively and worked in offshore oilfields, I have been fried more than once, enough to smell like burned hair for a couple of days and even had the misfortune of watching a friend's 6-year old daughter killed before our very eyes because she was slow to come inside when called.

I tend to take my chances (what the hey I am old anyway) and stand outside in awe until I feel my hair standing on end then, as my wife says, "lun like hel".

For me, its like common sense, ya know? If you see a bus coming at high speed, there is a time when it is prudent to get out of the middle of the road. This is the problem with golfers - they don't realize that lightning leads the storm/rain by often several kilometers and are sticking that iron rod up into the air for one more shot before the rain arrives..

As the lady said on the 'I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus' album long ago, "It's electric..."

Zzzzzt !