# There's another storm a'brewin'



## Gerry1time (May 12, 2006)

first a few spots of rain, now a massive rumble of thunder, just as i'm about to walk home, ace...


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## gentlegreen (May 12, 2006)

Gerry1time said:
			
		

> first a few spots of rain, now a massive rumble of thunder, just as i'm about to walk home, ace...


Arse - I'd better get on me bike pronto !

.


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## fractionMan (May 12, 2006)

Yeah, I heard that too.


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## madzone (May 12, 2006)

Please send it our way 

Mind you it's gone quite dark here and I have a thumping headache and am in a god awful mood so maybe we'll be in luck.


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## Dru (May 12, 2006)

I was already on my bike- in deepest Leigh Woods- when the rain started. And not a raincoat in sight. Oh well, got home finally, without getting _too _dishevelled. 

I know there's a Dutch cycle accessory manufacturer (they're called Basil, if you're half interested.. and no, this isn't a plug... ) who makes a brolly holder for the front of your bike. Doubtless works fine in sensible and cycle-lane-provided Holland. Having just come up Whiteladies Road in the rush hour, ...er, nice idea, but no thanks...


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## gentlegreen (May 12, 2006)

If I'd waited another 5 minutes I could have had such a lovely ride home.

At least it wasn't cold.

But as per usual, there were loads of morons on 4 wheels who'd clearly watched too many Clarkson skid-pan stunts  

.


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## Sunspots (May 12, 2006)

I was out on my bike at the time too!  

I wouldn't have minded getting soaked, but I don't like the idea of cycling when there's lightning about.  

Thankfully, the rain didn't last long, did it.


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## gloryhornetgirl (May 12, 2006)

I got a refreshing light shower as I came out of Tesco, but missed the absolute hammering down  

I was slightly nervous about cycling through trees in lightening though.


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## Sunspots (May 12, 2006)

gloryhornetgirl said:
			
		

> I was slightly nervous about cycling through trees in lightening though.



As I said, I get nervous cycling in lightning too.  _Is it_ risky?  I'd imagine so, but I really don't know for sure.


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## gloryhornetgirl (May 12, 2006)

It's risky to stand near a tall object, as you can get secondary shocks. I think you'd be reasonably safe if you are surrounded by buildings, but golf courses etc. are dangerous. Florida has the most lightning strikes.


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## Dru (May 12, 2006)

You're perfectly safe in a thunderstorm if you're on a bicycle, because you've got rubber tyres insulating you from the ground. So if you're hit by lightning, the millions of volts course down through you, encounter the tyres, and think "Damn! Foiled again!"_ C'est facile!_

_A Government Spokesperson Speaks_: We do not condone the above advice. You should take the proper precautions to avoid lightning strike. These are..._ (statement ends)_


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## munkeeunit (May 12, 2006)

There was hail stones too


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## gloryhornetgirl (May 12, 2006)

Dru said:
			
		

> You're perfectly safe in a thunderstorm if you're on a bicycle, because you've got rubber tyres insulating you from the ground.



Not true, sadly.

http://www.bicyclelane.com/Survival_Tips/the_elements/lightning_strike.htm


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## s.norbury (May 12, 2006)

could be really heavy here soon........


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## Dru (May 13, 2006)

Yes. Sorry, thought it would be obvious I was joking...  

I'd think that having tall things like buildings and trees around you in a thunderstorm would be the best thing, as the lightning would go for them. As long as you're not actually _hugging_ the tree.

The worst thing is to be caught out in the open. The Sensible Advice for this sort of eventuality is to lie down to make less of a target of yourself. But I've never been able to do that; I'd feel a bit silly, and the ground's always wet in the circumstances. (I still have a little frisson at the memory of a time when I was about eight, walking along a raised trackway in the Lancashire flatlands, during a thunderstorm, hastening home. Lightning was hammering down all round.... so near, and me so stupid...)

We may reassure ourselves with statistics. You're highly unlikely to be wiped out by a lightning strike in Bristol. (Pretty likely to be wiped out by damfool car driver going _Ooooh look at that...._  though   )


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## munkeeunit (May 13, 2006)

Whenever I find myself walking around in a heavy storm, especially if it's especially windy, I've always got one eye on the tiles of the roofs, things hanging off from shop fronts, etc. Don't know what the statistics are for getting your head caved in by a bit of stray roofing in a storm, but it's got to be significantly higher than getting struck by lightning.


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## gentlegreen (May 13, 2006)

Found myself watching gardening progs on TV last night and saw them evacuating Kew gardens during a storm. 
I hadn't previously realised just how dangerous outdoors can be  

They should cut down all those dangerous trees !

.


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## munkeeunit (May 13, 2006)

*sniggers*

and then burn them all in big pits just to be on the safe side.


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## Dru (May 13, 2006)

They're not just dangerous. As Ronald Reagan famously observed, trees cause more pollution than automobiles.

And then there's all that blinking litter they drop every autumn. 

Personally, I'd start by serving ASBOs on them.


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## munkeeunit (May 13, 2006)

Dru said:
			
		

> They're not just dangerous. As Ronald Reagan famously observed, trees cause more pollution than automobiles.
> 
> And then there's all that blinking litter they drop every autumn.
> 
> Personally, I'd start by serving ASBOs on them.



Remember that recent reoprt which showed that trees produce methane?

When I saw (from what I saw anyway) that the plants tested were kept in artificial light under restrictive glass containers which pushed right up against their leaves, I immediately had the idea that maybe these plants were under stress and that's why they were possibly producing methane. 

I'm not an expert in these things, but as they were surprised to find methane at all, I'm sure they should repeat those tests in more natural conditions and without restrictiction. And if that means putting huge bell jars over fully grown trees in natural conditions, then I would suggest they should.


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## Dru (May 13, 2006)

Hmmm, I missed out on that particular report. But it does strike me as odd that trees have just been getting on with doing what they do best since long before our ancestors came down from them, without any apparent harm to the environment; and suddenly it turns out they're actually rather naughty. Gosh. It's a good job there are so many motor vehicles around, restoring the balance with their life-giving fumes. (A particular tip of the hat to all those public-spirited burghers of Henleaze and its environs, who, although they could no doubt make do with a dinky little Smart car to pop to the health club in, exert themselves, at no small expense, to drive those remarkably large Mitsubishi tank things. Venceremos! )


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## rowan (May 14, 2006)

A few years ago I found myself on Dunkery Beacon (highest point on Exmoor) in a huge thunderstorm.  I drove down as quick as I dared and watched the rest of the storm from down next to the beach.

Afterwards several people told me I'd have been ok if I'd stayed where I was because the van tyres would have protected me from any lightening strikes ?

Reading this thread has now got me wondering, did I do the right thing, or would I have been ok staying in my van on what I think might actually be the highest point in southern england?


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## Dru (May 14, 2006)

Here's a link to the website of an ozzie loonie who chases thunderstorms.

http://strikeone.com.au/avoid/avoid.htm

..it seems that if you avoid touching the metal parts of the car, you're _relatively_ safe. 

On the matter of being protected by your tyres, it does seem unlikely; lightning happens because there is such a huge potential difference between the thundercloud and the earth that the cloud can't help but discharge itself. The electricity will find the easiest way to earth; air is a very poor conductor, so anything else that comes along is likely to be a preferred route. But whichever route it takes, having plucked up the enthusuasm to travel some hundreds of feet through plain air, it doesn't seem likely to baulk at a few more inches just because there's a bit of rubber in the way.

Sitting in a metal box might not be as dangerous as it seems; during the electric storm at sea that I described in the other storm thread, I know that the ship was struck, probably several times, because lots of sensitive electrical equipment was destroyed. But no-one on board was hurt at all. The steel obviously provided a swift route for the electricity down to the sea.


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## Zaskar (May 14, 2006)

Generally all lightening wants to do is to get to earth.  It will 'chose' the easiest, ie lowest resistance route.  If you are in the open you are easier than the few feet of air you occupy so it goes thru you.  Trouble is you are not a very good conductor and because you have a fintite resistance power is dissapted in you as the elctricity tries to squeeze thru your finite resistance.  This has the effect of explosively heating your tissues, bet that stings.

Metal things usually survive strikes cos their very low resistance means little energy is dissapated in their structure.

In a car you are safe cos the metal is much better at conducting than you.  A bike is probably unsafe as the strike may hit your head befor finding the metal.

When I was two I was nearly struck by a bolt, I slept for 24 hours and love storms to this day.  Sadly my mum has been left with a phobia of lightening.

Here is my lightening film from the other flasher thread for those who may be intersted...   http://www.zaskarfilms.com/Films/springlight.wmv


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## rowan (May 14, 2006)

It was a spectacular storm and it would fantastic to sit up there watching it all, but it was a bit scary - the thunder was actually all around me, not above, I was sitting _in_ the thunderstorm before I scarpered


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## rowan (May 14, 2006)

Dru said:
			
		

> Here's a link to the website of an ozzie loonie who chases thunderstorms.
> 
> http://strikeone.com.au/avoid/avoid.htm
> 
> ..it seems that if you avoid touching the metal parts of the car, you're _relatively_ safe.




Hmmm. Just read that link and saw this:

"Standing on a beach is more dangerous than being in the car park. I have seen lightning travel out of its way to strike the waterline where land and water meet. 
You think it would strike the headland as it is higher but it is quite common that it strikes the beach. I can't be sure why lightning does this but in anycase, don't stand on a beach during a thunderstorm."

So it looks like coming down from the Moor to sit right next to the sea to watch the storm wasn't such a good idea after all


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## gentlegreen (May 15, 2006)

.................................
	

	
	
		
		

		
			







> *Falling tree traps woman in car*
> 
> One woman was trapped in her car, but no-one else was injured
> A woman had to be rescued by firefighters when a 50ft tree landed on her car, trapping her inside.
> ...


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