A storm hit right on school drop-off this morning.

As I was standing at the crossing waiting for the lights to change, I could see sheet lightning, no ground strikes.

I was wondering, if there were ground strikes, what would the lightning mostly likely go for? The traffic lights? The telegraph pole? The big tree in the school grounds mere metres behind me? Me, standing at the lights with an umbrella? (If lightning hit any of those things, I would still be knocked to the ground due to proximity of the strike.)

Something high? Tall tree? Steeple?

Lightning struck a tree on the footpath outside the next door neighbour’s house in Moorooka. The tree basically exploded. I was showered with splinters in the lounge room. The doors were open. Pieces of wood up to a metre long landed on the verandah. What was left of the tree fell on a car a few minutes later.

The conductivity of the ground changes everywhere, some areas are more conductive than other areas.

I believe it’s best to lay flat on the ground, avoid anything that sticks up much out of the ground and especially metal objects.

A few years back here was a family that was killed when sitting under a steel-roofed shelter in a park when a big thunderstorm came over, and the shelter got hit by lightning. I can’t find a link to a news article on it sorry.

They say the best thing to do is to hold up a one iron because not even God can hit a one iron.

Peak Warming Man said:

They say the best thing to do is to hold up a one iron because not even God can hit a one iron.

Not an experiment I would try, though.

Tau.Neutrino said:

The conductivity of the ground changes everywhere, some areas are more conductive than other areas.

Lightning strikes on trees often follow the root system for many metres. This is especially true in very dry ground.

Peak Warming Man said:

They say the best thing to do is to hold up a one iron because not even God can hit a one iron.

Attributed to Arnold Palmer.

Tamb said:

Peak Warming Man said:

They say the best thing to do is to hold up a one iron because not even God can hit a one iron.

Attributed to Arnold Palmer.

If Clive got hit that would deserve a golf clap.

Spiny Norman said:

I believe it’s best to lay flat on the ground, avoid anything that sticks up much out of the ground and especially metal objects.

A few years back here was a family that was killed when sitting under a steel-roofed shelter in a park when a big thunderstorm came over, and the shelter got hit by lightning. I can’t find a link to a news article on it sorry.

I don’t think the lay flat on the ground idea is correct. In the event of lightning hitting the ground there will be too much of a voltage drop between head and toes.

Something like this perhaps, although the experiment’s rather difficult..

Ian said:

Spiny Norman said:

I believe it’s best to lay flat on the ground, avoid anything that sticks up much out of the ground and especially metal objects.

A few years back here was a family that was killed when sitting under a steel-roofed shelter in a park when a big thunderstorm came over, and the shelter got hit by lightning. I can’t find a link to a news article on it sorry.

I don’t think the lay flat on the ground idea is correct. In the event of lightning hitting the ground there will be too much of a voltage drop between head and toes.

Something like this perhaps, although the experiment’s rather difficult..

That’s what I was taught.

Ian said:

Spiny Norman said:

I believe it’s best to lay flat on the ground, avoid anything that sticks up much out of the ground and especially metal objects.

A few years back here was a family that was killed when sitting under a steel-roofed shelter in a park when a big thunderstorm came over, and the shelter got hit by lightning. I can’t find a link to a news article on it sorry.

I don’t think the lay flat on the ground idea is correct. In the event of lightning hitting the ground there will be too much of a voltage drop between head and toes.

Something like this perhaps, although the experiment’s rather difficult..

Stick ya fingers in ya ears and go ting-a-ling-a-loo?

Ian said:

Spiny Norman said:

I believe it’s best to lay flat on the ground, avoid anything that sticks up much out of the ground and especially metal objects.

A few years back here was a family that was killed when sitting under a steel-roofed shelter in a park when a big thunderstorm came over, and the shelter got hit by lightning. I can’t find a link to a news article on it sorry.

I don’t think the lay flat on the ground idea is correct. In the event of lightning hitting the ground there will be too much of a voltage drop between head and toes.

Something like this perhaps, although the experiment’s rather difficult..

Ideally, while crouching like that it’s best to keep your feet from actually touching the ground.

But it’s an uncomfortable posture to maintain for very long.

Bubblecar said:

Ian said:

Spiny Norman said:

I believe it’s best to lay flat on the ground, avoid anything that sticks up much out of the ground and especially metal objects.

A few years back here was a family that was killed when sitting under a steel-roofed shelter in a park when a big thunderstorm came over, and the shelter got hit by lightning. I can’t find a link to a news article on it sorry.

I don’t think the lay flat on the ground idea is correct. In the event of lightning hitting the ground there will be too much of a voltage drop between head and toes.

Something like this perhaps, although the experiment’s rather difficult..

Ideally, while crouching like that it’s best to keep your feet from actually touching the ground.

But it’s an uncomfortable posture to maintain for very long.

Wait for your hair to drop down again.

Lightning happens so fast you have no time to do anything about it.

Michael V said:

Lightning happens so fast you have no time to do anything about it.

I don’t know if there’s any truth in the hair standing up on your head when lightning is very close and I don’t propose trying to find out.

You can look for a safer position when you find yourself exposed and the thunder is only a few seconds behind the lightning.

Michael V said:

Lightning happens so fast you have no time to do anything about it.

^. Not many people would have the time to notice their hair going up and the time to get into a crouching position.

Having said that I wonder if anyone has.

Lightning strikes are measured in milliseconds.

It would have to be a slow leader creating a field, someone would have to notice the field being created by the leader.

Not all strikes are equal, some are slow, some are very fast, some are weak some are very strong.

>Me, standing at the lights with an umbrella?

I’d certainly be inclined to advise that you fold the umbrella and don’t leave the metal tip sticking up in the air.

Wikipedia – Lightning

Lightning is notoriously capricious and unpredictable. I’ve previously reported here of the time it struck the ground a couple of metres in front of me while I was riding a bicycle (I was on a paper round as a teenager; a minute or two later it struck the footpath on the other side of the street.) I’ve also seen it strike the geographically lowest point in Ballarat, which was surrounded by trees and a few metal power poles. I’ve read of it striking horses and doing no more damage that knocking their shoes off. There was a brothel next to a church in America that put up a lightning rod soon after their introduction; the church operators scoffed, saying that God would protect them; the church was destroyed by the lightning strike that left the brothel and its rod alone.

In short, it could strike anything, including the ground at the foot of the nearby metal pole — without touching the pole.

Tau.Neutrino said:

Michael V said:

Lightning happens so fast you have no time to do anything about it.

^. Not many people would have the time to notice their hair going up and the time to get into a crouching position.

Having said that I wonder if anyone has.

Lightning strikes are measured in milliseconds.

It would have to be a slow leader creating a field, someone would have to notice the field being created by the leader.

Not all strikes are equal, some are slow, some are very fast, some are weak some are very strong.

Some days are diamonds some days are stones
Sometimes the hard times won’t leave me alone

Bubblecar said:

>Me, standing at the lights with an umbrella?

I’d certainly be inclined to advise that you fold the umbrella and don’t leave the metal tip sticking up in the air.

A couple of weeks ago, i was walking the Barely-Domesticated Wolf and i realised that (a) a thunderstorm was brewing and (b) we were at the foot of a radio mast that reaches about 100 metres into the air.

We revised our location quite promptly.

btm said:

Lightning is notoriously capricious and unpredictable. I’ve previously reported here of the time it struck the ground a couple of metres in front of me while I was riding a bicycle (I was on a paper round as a teenager; a minute or two later it struck the footpath on the other side of the street.) I’ve also seen it strike the geographically lowest point in Ballarat, which was surrounded by trees and a few metal power poles. I’ve read of it striking horses and doing no more damage that knocking their shoes off. There was a brothel next to a church in America that put up a lightning rod soon after their introduction; the church operators scoffed, saying that God would protect them; the church was destroyed by the lightning strike that left the brothel and its rod alone.

Followed by prolonged thunder, said by some to be god saying the words “bugger, missed again”.

Lightning never hits the same spot twice they say, unless of course you happen to be Roy Cleveland Sullivan…

Ian said:

Michael V said:

Lightning happens so fast you have no time to do anything about it.

I don’t know if there’s any truth in the hair standing up on your head when lightning is very close and I don’t propose trying to find out.

You can look for a safer position when you find yourself exposed and the thunder is only a few seconds behind the lightning.

I’ve had my arm hair stand up in a high voltage switchyard.

The Rev Dodgson said:

btm said:

Lightning is notoriously capricious and unpredictable. I’ve previously reported here of the time it struck the ground a couple of metres in front of me while I was riding a bicycle (I was on a paper round as a teenager; a minute or two later it struck the footpath on the other side of the street.) I’ve also seen it strike the geographically lowest point in Ballarat, which was surrounded by trees and a few metal power poles. I’ve read of it striking horses and doing no more damage that knocking their shoes off. There was a brothel next to a church in America that put up a lightning rod soon after their introduction; the church operators scoffed, saying that God would protect them; the church was destroyed by the lightning strike that left the brothel and its rod alone.

Followed by prolonged thunder, said by some to be god saying the words “bugger, missed again”.

Italian Friends say it’s Jesus playing bocce.

JudgeMental said:

Lightning never hits the same spot twice they say, unless of course you happen to be Roy Cleveland Sullivan…

Is that the park ranger guy?

buffy said:

JudgeMental said:

Lightning never hits the same spot twice they say, unless of course you happen to be Roy Cleveland Sullivan…

Is that the park ranger guy?

Yep.

JudgeMental said:

buffy said:

JudgeMental said:

Lightning never hits the same spot twice they say, unless of course you happen to be Roy Cleveland Sullivan…

Is that the park ranger guy?

Yep.

Or Major Walter Summerford. The two of them manage a whole page between them in a book I’ve got here called “The Improbability Principle”. It’s a very interesting book.

probably can’t rely on preferential conductors, loosely that’s what you mean

the conduction paths are influenced by the tracks of high energy particles maybe, perhaps right down to sea level, though couldn’t be sure

Cow gets hit by lightning

Poor moo-moo might not have survived that one.

Spiny Norman said:

Cow gets hit by lightning

Poor moo-moo might not have survived that one.

That’s a bit sad :(

Cows should have evolved already to stand upright during storms. Silly things.

Interestingly, mini me’s school has a policy of going into lockdown at pick-up if there’s a severe storm nearby. Kids remain in their classrooms until the storm clears. But AFAIK there’s no policy for storms at drop-off. This morning’s lightning was probably over Moreton Island.

Obviously if the storm was close, I would go inside the school hall until it passed. Also pretty sure the ferrule is plastic although the spokes are metal. It was raining so lightly I didn’t even have it up. Didn’t start pelting down til I got home 10 minutes later.

Speedy said:

Spiny Norman said:

Cow gets hit by lightning

Poor moo-moo might not have survived that one.

That’s a bit sad :(

Cows should have evolved already to stand upright during storms. Silly things.

Millions of years of evolution and cockroaches still can’t right themselves when tipped on their backs.

Divine Angel said:

Interestingly, mini me’s school has a policy of going into lockdown at pick-up if there’s a severe storm nearby. Kids remain in their classrooms until the storm clears. But AFAIK there’s no policy for storms at drop-off. This morning’s lightning was probably over Moreton Island.

Obviously if the storm was close, I would go inside the school hall until it passed. Also pretty sure the ferrule is plastic although the spokes are metal. It was raining so lightly I didn’t even have it up. Didn’t start pelting down til I got home 10 minutes later.

It is a liability thing, nothing to do with care.
When you drop the kid off, they are in your care. When they release them, they are in their care.

I wonder if this was a personal reply or one of many identical emails from this MP about the senate inquiry into the ABC:

…

Thank you for contacting my office. As the ABC receives approximately $1.1 billion annually from the taxpayer it is completely correct that the Senate should examine aspects of how the ABC operates.
I support this inquiry.
Sam

ooops sorry

Divine Angel said:

A storm hit right on school drop-off this morning.

As I was standing at the crossing waiting for the lights to change, I could see sheet lightning, no ground strikes.

I was wondering, if there were ground strikes, what would the lightning mostly likely go for? The traffic lights? The telegraph pole? The big tree in the school grounds mere metres behind me? Me, standing at the lights with an umbrella? (If lightning hit any of those things, I would still be knocked to the ground due to proximity of the strike.)

My bit of weirdness
was living next door to a lady
who’d JUST had a baby, (side step)
we both lived across a narrow street from
the town graveyard surrounded by an iron fence
(i reckon you can already see where this is heading)
So I’m inside when I hear this TREMENDOUS BOOM!!!
which sounded like what I’d imagine artillery fire to sound like
to find my neighbour pretty much in shock with her baby in her arms.

She said when she heard the storm coming she ran outside with the infant
to “teach him not to be afraid of thunder” (and lightening I suppose) when a stray
bolt from out of the blue struck the tree leaning against the iron fence splitting the tree
asunder and traveling a few meter along the heavy iron fence and I assume into the ground.

Hadn’t thought of it till just now.. but I wonder if it was a shocking experience for those buried below
…because my immediate thought was for the effect it may have had on the child she was trying to teach.

I moved soon after
but it still makes me wonder