PSA: It's lightning season!

[Rubycon]

I bet this guy will never work on his scooters when thunder looms on the horizon. :shocked:

(NSFW language warning!)

I've seen those type of storms before. Hardly any lightning, sometimes NOTHING and BAM! One comes right AT YOU with no warning.

Be safe.

 

[sixone]

:Q

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Hmm... in a few weeks, it'll be the day my dad was struck by lightning 2 years ago. Unfortunately he didn't get any superpowers though

(For those wondering, yes, he's fine, was released from the hospital on the same day)

 

[manowar821]

Hahaha.. You do know the chances of being hit by lighting, right? One out of every 280,000 people.

I suppose that's an order of magnitude better than being killed by terrorists, though.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: manowar821
Hahaha.. You do know the chances of being hit by lighting, right? One out of every 280,000 people.

I suppose that's an order of magnitude better than being killed by terrorists, though.

I thought the odds were lower than that

Speaking of odds though, the day my dad was struck, on our way home from the hospital, I joked how lucky he is to have been struck and survive, that winning the lottery is nothing... I figured he'd slap me in a joking manner or something, but he was serious, and said to turn around to the nearest gas station so we can buy some tickets

 

[destrekor]

I will definitely be an idiot and be near a field this summer if there is ever an approaching storm that produces lots of lightning on the horizon with no rainfall. My camera begs me to take some lightning photos!
I would take them from my neighborhood, but no good photos have ever had powerlines and houses in the foreground, blocking the view of a bolt. I really want to take some good shots, may even invest in a remote shutter control for my Nikon N65 (does not allow the use of a cord, has an IR receiver specifically for this use instead of a hole in the shutter button).

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: manowar821
Hahaha.. You do know the chances of being hit by lighting, right? One out of every 280,000 people.

I suppose that's an order of magnitude better than being killed by terrorists, though.

The odds don't mean much if you don't live to tell about it. Also, not using common sense (like staying out on a golf course!) can increase the chances of you getting struck tremendously.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: manowar821
Hahaha.. You do know the chances of being hit by lighting, right? One out of every 280,000 people.

I suppose that's an order of magnitude better than being killed by terrorists, though.

odds are great and all, but not so much for that person who is lucky enough to be the 1 in whatever number.
think of it this way: sure, your odds may seem good when doing 1 in whatever, but scale that to how many to a city's population (although it pretty much fits a small city on its lowest scale), state's population, or a national population. Then combine that with the odds of dispersion (i made it up, but consider that it would be extremely rare for only 1 strike in a given state, for example, or however you want to disperse the hits across the country), and you could easily see 5 people be struck in a city with a population of 280,000. Or you may see none. Odds are funny like that.

cliffs: odds mean nothing when your life is on the line

 

[DrPizza]

The odds may be one out of every 280,000 people, but that's considering the number of people hit vs. the whole population.

In reality, out of those 280,000, only a few thousand are stupid enough to stand out in the open during a lightning storm. For the 275,000 people who aren't morons, they're *relatively* safe in their cars and homes.

Thus, the real odds of being struck, while standing out in the open, are much higher than 1 in 280,000.


p.s. I'm always amused by people who realize that lightning can travel 3 miles to the ground, but think that the extra 6 inches from the bottom of a car to the ground is just too far for it to jump. Darn those tires

 

[Agentbolt]

Just take cover under the tallest tree you can find if you find yourself in a lightning storm. The tree will protect you!

If all else fails, remember, you are grounded by the rubber soles of your shoes. You are invulnerable to lightning

 

[Electric Amish]

I :heart: Lightning!!

It never keeps me from doing things. I'm a rebel. I watch TV, talk on the phone, shower and even use my computer during storms.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Agentbolt
Just take cover under the tallest tree you can find if you find yourself in a lightning storm. The tree will protect you!

If all else fails, remember, you are insulated by the rubber soles of your shoes. You are invulnerable to lightning

fixed

 

[Steve]

LOL, "Sheltering myself with a piece of sheetmetal, I ran for the tallest tree I could find!"

 

[Agentbolt]

fixed

Holy crap, I'm not posting anymore. My brain's clearly gone on vacation for the day.

 

[Old Hippie]

I've had a bolt strike right next to me. It's very eerie. It got extremely quiet and all the hair on my arms stood straight up right before the strike. :Q

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

T+L FTW!!!!1!!!1!!!

 

[KAZANI]

Originally posted by: Agentbolt
Just take cover under the tallest tree you can find if you find yourself in a lightning storm. The tree will protect you!

Don't be so sure. Tree explodes after being struck by lightning.