Lets talk lightning storms

T

Tomso

Joined
Mar 29, 2006
Messages
336
Okay, you are out in the middle of wherever and this bad nasty lightning storm just came right on top of you, you have at least one nice chunk of steel, lets say a knife or a gun, there is no way to escape it...so as Keanu Reeves said it in speed...what do you do, what do you do?
I know few things, make your self as small as possible, and i heard that for some reason its good to keep your knees and legs together, and yes, steel no good for E&E a lighting storm, plus not hiding under the only tree in the area, getting of the high ground...but, lets say its flat ground and you are the highest point in the area, you have a knife on you that you dont really want to throw away, no place to hide and this big lightnings are all over the place, what would you guys do? I always wondered what is the best and most wise thing to do in lightning storm.
 
If you have a foam sleeping pad, get it out, and then crouch on top of it and hug your knees. At least that's what I was taught. I don't think the steel in a knife would matter unless you were holding it over your head or something.
 
Get low, and get small. Anything that creates static is bad, so high winds, flapping jacket bad idea. But, I think mostly you just need to hope you get lucky sidenote to that, if someone does get hit, they're going to look horrible. Don't assume they're dead, preform CPR anyways.
 
yea, static is bad. I know of a guy that got hit by lightning not so long ago on top of his head, through his body all the way to his cell phone in his pants (cell phone exploded)...went into coma. His buddy stood next to him, but he didnt have a cell phone. I wonder if a knife would present similar problem...i'm not being paranoid or anything, its just one of those things that it is good to know what to do.
 
Well... you can always toss your knife a few yards away and get it after the storm, but it isnt likely to cause that kind of a problem. More likely a burn, it will get very hot if you/it gets hit. Several strike victims have been reported to have the metal snaps on coats and rivets in jeans welded, and burns from them. Finding any kind of a depression in the ground may help, at least from wind driven flying objects. The foampad idea is a good one, as is getting low and small.
 
Lightning is about the only thing that scares me in life. I've had people shoot at me and a whole bunch of other scary things but nothing makes me whimper like a baby like lightning.
 
Lake Erie, 5 or so miles out, thunderstorm blows in, and when I started up, fuel line starts squirting.

pucker.
 
Here are a few tips I try to follow:
-Avoid trees, fences, towers, open air shelters, clearings, water
-If you can, seek enclosed shelter
-If no shelter is available crouch down on the BALLS of your feet; the idea is to create as little passage between the ground and lighting, so avoid full feet, knees, hands ect...
-Seek a gully or depression in the ground anything to get you lower
-If you are stuck in the forest, look for a low point, or smaller trees
-Cars are usually safe but avoid touching metal
-If in a group SPREAD OUT! SO not everyone gets struck
-Follow 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 your hair stands on end, you hear high-pitched or crackling noises, or see a blue halo (St. Elmo's fire) around objects, there is electrical activity near you that precedes a lightning strike. If you can't get away from the area immediately
-KNOW FIRST AID!!
 
An ex girlfriend of mine in the UK her dad was doing some work in a field with a mate,
lightning struck the other guy and killed him then it jumped to him.
He was wearing regular jeans t shirt and a belt.
The lightning jumped across to the rivets on the jeans ....all the rivets and down through to the ground.
He survived but had burns around the lower torso and groin area!!
One lucky SOB
 
ZombiesEatFree said:
-Cars are usually safe but avoid touching metal
Click to expand...

As I was taught...
Touching the interior of a fully enclosed metal structure like a car won't do anything.

You could sit naked stuffed into a metal trashcan while it got struck by lighting and you could be fine. (at least as far as electrocution goes, burns from contact with potentially hot metal are another issue)
 
Good info guys. Here is one from me, one second between when you see lightning and when you hear means its approx. 1 km away. So lets say you count to 6 Mississippi's means its about 6 km away. I think you can get hit if its about 3 km away.
It seems i'm not the only one that doesnt enjoy natures light show in the sky.
 
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Electricity in all its myriad forms makes me nervous. That's the only handyman task around the house I won't mess with and I will not go outside during a thunderstorm.
 
the nation weather service has a great tutorial page about what to do in a lightening storm
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream//lightning/lightning_safety.htm

directly from the national weather service page
"How far can lightning strike?
Almost all lightning will occur within 10 miles of its parent thunderstorm, but it CAN strike much farther than that. Lightning detection equipment has confirmed bolts striking almost 50 miles away, but these are very rare."

yeah ive had two ancestors struck and killed by lightening both with the same first name as i. it's always made me nervous too.
btw both of those women were killed INSIDE their homes. stovepipes became lightening rods that carried the force right into the living room in one instance and the kitchen in the other.
 
I'd set up my tent and get in it on my foam sleeping pad. Then I'd go to sleep and forget it.
 
Do as everyone else said and stay away from the trees and stay low but other than that it's kind of a crap shoot. My apartment was struck by lightning this summer and it started a fire in my daughters room and we barely got her out in time, so in my opinion lightning sucks and it scares the crap out of me these days.
 
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shotgunner11 said:
God I love a good thunderstorm.

Sorry, I realize that isn't helpful at all, I just wanted to share.
Click to expand...

along the same lines, one of the coolest things I've seen in my life was a 30 minute ball lightning storm while camping in a small valley.

Useful sidenote... If you even see/hear lightning in the winter, you've generally got less than 5 minutes to get your ass off the road/bunkered down on the trail. It's rare, but when I have seen it, all hell breaks loose.
 
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