Snap! Crackle! Pop! It's Lightning season again! Tell your lightning stories here!

[sharkeeper]

Yep, it's that time of the year. I haven't met anyone that hasn't experienced at least one thunderstorm. They are fairly frequent here in MD and we do get some close calls. Areas in the Southeast, particularly Florida are at very high risk.

What is the scariest thunderclap you've ever heard? The sound of thunder depends on many things and definitely has a different sound in the woods compared to the Grand Canyon.

This type of thunder is pretty scary sounding. If you're close enough to the stroke, sparks can be observed jumping across wires, buildings and even between parked cars! Of course, if you are watching this, you are pretty brave because your chance of getting the new look is rather frightening!

Cheers!

 

[Viper GTS]

We don't get many thunderstorms out here, but a year ago I was in PA for a week. There was a decent storm one of the nights, I loved it.

Dry & warm with a woman, with a thunderstorm outside.



Viper GTS

 

[Antoneo]

A couple of years ago, there was this pretty strong thunderstorm passing through my area and lightning hit a telephone pole about 100 yards from my house. It was so loud it woke me up and I found out that my cordless phone (which was in the charger) was broken. I guess the electricity went through the telephone wires and got to the phone itself.

 

[yobarman]

ever since i moved up into the burbs it's been crazy every time a storm rolls around. one time in the winter there was this snow storm and it was evening but incredibly cloudy outside. off in the distance you could the telephone lines fallin down and lighting up the sky. that was pretty cool..but it's not really a lightning story....

 

[LadyNiniane]

You mean like the one that hit the utility pole at the back corner of our yard? And fried the cable connection box? And then traveled on in to all three houses connected to said cable box and fried every single converter box and/or directly-connected TV on said cable line?

Naw - that wasn't the big one.

The big one was the one that took off the top corner of our current dwelling - which, at the time, was the highest point in the neighborhood. No fire, but did require new roof section, etc. (you can tell exactly where it hit - the shingles are a slightly different color).

Fortunately that was a number of years ago, and the trees in the surrounding yards have now grown up to a point where they are much taller than the house. ('Course now we have to deal with wind and ice issues...)

Lady Niniane

 

[kami]

Oh I got a cool story about lightning... flash back 15 years ago (too bad I don't remember this, but I WAS there)...

I was 3 and I was sitting on the couch looking out our front window, watching a real badass thunderstorm with my mom. Suddenly what looks like a ball of fire flies in between our house and the neighbor's house (to the left of us) and slams into the roof of a house across the street. The roof went up in flames. I don't remember this but I was told the story.

And my grandma told me this one...and since I have been told this I have NEVER left a window open during a storm.

Basically there was a storm when she was a child and a bolt of lightning actually came into a window of their house and went straight out another open window. If only one window was open it probably would have set the place on fire. :Q And the other window was not directly across from the open one, but somehow the lightning was attracted to the other open window? can anyone explain?

 

[Barrak]

I used to LOVE watching lightning storms here in PA, until I started working for and ISP. This past week or so we have had a bunch of storms and it seems no one has surge protectors on their phone lines.

I quote "You guys F**$in Suck, My modem doesnt even dial now, what did you jerks do this time?"

 

[JaiKnight]

We don't get crazy lightning/thunderstorms around here, but I remember one time there was a HUGE clap of thunder, seemed like it was right outside! Shook the entire house and made plenty of lights flash Anyways, all I could think of after that was, damn, I wish my sub could do that....time to find me an ARS500

 

[sharkeeper]

Usually two windows provides cross ventilation. The air is very active (electrical wise) during an active storm. Reports of fireballs are not that uncommon. Having open windows on opposite sides of a building when the wind is blowing through increases the danger of a discharge developing dramatically. While it technically isn't as dangerous as an actual lightning bolt, it can damage electrical appliances, set things on fire, and cause people to dirty their underwear! :Q

Most people will leave windows open just as the storm approaches (before the precipitation) because the air cools down sometimes over 35 degrees! Most people have experienced the cool drafts that provide immense relief to sultry afternoons.

Cheers!

 

[pulpp]

well, the worest i seen and will probably ever see in my life, was in May 2000 in oklahoma, i used to live in Norman back then and we had two F5 Tornados, F5 = 200mph+ winds, they landed in Moore, which is like just 15 miles north of me. and i been in thunderstroms in missouri where its raining so hard even your windshield wipers on the fastest settings cant keep up, all you can do is pull over to the side of the road and wait for it to calm down, ahhh i miss the midwest

 

[Xesh]

I don't know too much about this story, because it didn't happen to me, but my father told me once that outside our house he "drove through" a lightning bolt.

 

[Parrotheader]

Lightning season?? Hmm. I didn't even know there was a lightning season. I guess it's always lightning season down here in the Southeast since we rarely get cold enough to have snow storms in the winter. Some of the worst thunderstorms I remember were in October in November actually. I love thunderstorms so long as no one (and none of my electronic equipment) gets hurt. What sucks in our area is that we're in the Appalachian foothills and there are tons of trees so you can't see very far if a storm is coming up on you (which makes Torandos particularly deadly.) The best lightning is in the storms you can see way far off in the distance without any immeidate threat. Places like the Plains states are good for that. But my personal favorite is when you're at the beach and you have one of those strong thunderstorms that seem to roll in like clockwork every afternoon. There's nothing more soothing after a hard day of waterskiing and lounging in the sun than taking a nap during a thunderstorm. I've got to run. I've got to beat this afternoon's storm home so I can mow the grass.

 

[Isla]

My neighbor got knocked down by a bolt from the blue last Sunday when she was at church. Two people who were closer to the tree the lightning hit were hospitalized... it was in the news.

But, I live in the land of electric skies! Tampa is said to mean "Fire Sticks" in the language of the natives who lived here.

It does have an effect on what time I go jogging, how far, and how fast. I did my fastest mile one day when a storm suddenly approached and lightning seemed to strike right above my head!

Too bad we can't harness the energy. Why didn't they listen to Tesla?

 

[sharkeeper]

See if there's lightning playing near your neighborhood here.

Cheers!

 

[Electrode]

Here's a few "stories" about thunderstorms. One of these are true, try to guess which one.

1. I was struck by lightning once.
2. Once there was a clap of thunder so loud, it blew out a window in my house.
3. My older brother was nearly struck by lightning once.
4. A lighting strike blew apart my chicken coop, leaving the poor chickens traumatized.

Personally, I love thunderstorms. There sure have been a lot of major ones this year, most places within 10 miles of here have been hit with at least one tornado.

 

[Darein]

Only seen lightning twice here, but I was once in Florida during a big thunderstorm and while driving on the highway a tree about 20 feet off the side of the road just burst into flames, really scary at the time.

 

[ElPool]

dont get much lightning in washington state, which is what made me think it was OK to go out wakeboarding on a lake in a big rainstorm. Then everyone on the boat had their hair stand up on end, so we got the hell out of there, while lighting started crashing all around our boat.

Your hair standing up in a lightning storm is NOT a good sign.

 

[sharkeeper]

<< Your hair standing up in a lightning storm is NOT a good sign. >>



That is generally true but my hair is standing up all the time!

Cheers!