Lightening - How Dangerous Exactly?

[paddyhasneeds]

OK so for the last hour I've had "Nil signal" on Sky and it's been pissing it down to the point where I can hardly see the end of the fields at the back of my house, and we've had a half hour or so of lightening which seemed pretty fking close i.e. flash "how many sec.." fking loud bang.

And what have I just seen? Two lads walking their dogs across said field.

You couldn't fking pay me to walk across that field right now - am I being paranoid and missing the fundamentals of how lightening works, or are they out of their minds?

[MK4 Slowride]

Darwin law will prevail.

[TheEnd]

Yea, i'd say paranoid.
Strikes are few and far between, with trees and hills being favourite.

I remember a storm a few months back when the guy i was with froze with terror and recoiled from something. I jumped myself, expecting to look up and see cruise missile or a feminist or something, and he said it was the lightning.
It was funny to see a grown man so frightened, but not as funny as what he said...
"It's not the lightning, it's the [i]dunder[/id]..."

[elster]

paddyhasneeds said:

OK so for the last hour I've had "Nil signal" on Sky and it's been pissing it down to the point where I can hardly see the end of the fields at the back of my house, and we've had a half hour or so of lightening which seemed pretty fking close i.e. flash "how many sec.." fking loud bang.

And what have I just seen? Two lads walking their dogs across said field.

You couldn't fking pay me to walk across that field right now - am I being paranoid and missing the fundamentals of how lightening works, or are they out of their minds?

Did you turn up to school or think it was not worth it?

I love going out in big storms, especially over here where you only get short rain bursts and thunder and lightning for hours!

They are normal sane people, you are a paranoid person.

[uncinqsix]

I got hit by lightning while inside cooking tea a few years ago. So you're not really safe anywhere.

HTH.

[dickymint]

elster said:

They are normal sane people, you are a paranoid person.

They probably had their carbon fibre umbrellas for protection anyway.

[Mars]

Probability very low. Impact very high. Risk... up to you.

[elster]

dickymint said:

elster said:

They are normal sane people, you are a paranoid person.

They probably had their carbon fibre umbrellas for protection anyway.

What kind of "lads" do you know that have an umbrella anyway?

You just get wet. Talk about soft Britain

As Chopper would say "Harden the F**K up!"

[IanMorewood]

Chance of being struck low, chance of ceasing to exist if struck pretty high. I only directly know one person whos been struck (and killed) by the stuff and he was playing cricket at the time.

[Nickyboy]

I came within about 20 yds of being struck a couple of years ago, massive bolt hit the ground as i was driving past a field, felt the shockwave thump through me as if someone had hit me with a baseball bat accumpanied by the loudest bang i've ever heard.

Cant wait for my road trip to Florida

[Pints]

Lightening is not very dangerous at all. May I suggest Clairol Nice 'n Easy?

Lightning, on the other hand, is pretty darn deadly.

[i remember]

Quite dangerous, thousands of volts but tiny amount of amps

[anonymous-user]

Nickyboy said:

I came within about 20 yds of being struck a couple of years ago, massive bolt hit the ground as i was driving past a field, felt the shockwave thump through me as if someone had hit me with a baseball bat accumpanied by the loudest bang i've ever heard.

If you were in a car then you would've been fine, surely?

[tmk2]

uncinqsix said:

I got hit by lightning while inside cooking tea a few years ago. So you're not really safe anywhere.

HTH.

Got to ask, how the hell did that happen?

[TheEnd]

i remember said:

Quite dangerous, thousands of volts but tiny amount of amps

oooh no sir, over 200,000 amps have been reported!

[ridds]

Been too close to lightening to want to risk it.

Guy I was walking with at Le Mans one year had a spark jump from his umbrella to his thumb whilst we were walking along and the storm was miles off at this point.

Also a poor guy in a camera look out at the Nurburgring got zapped and killed by lightening.

I love a good storm but you NEVER know where it;s going to hit and if it does you better be bloody lucky!

[uncinqsix]

tmk2 said:

uncinqsix said:

I got hit by lightning while inside cooking tea a few years ago. So you're not really safe anywhere.

HTH.

Got to ask, how the hell did that happen?

I'm still not entirely sure. Was standing at the stove during a thunderstorm, lighting hit the house (or right next to it), there was a blue flash from the pot I was holding and I found myself on my arse on the other side of the kitchen. There was a small exit wound on the top of my foot where I think the current must have travelled back into the oven and an odd white scar running down part of that leg.

[RegMolehusband]

Well the lad who is currently fighting for his life in Birmingham after being struck on Friday would probably say it was quite dangerous if he could.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196029/Te...

[dickymint]

elster said:

dickymint said:

elster said:

They are normal sane people, you are a paranoid person.

They probably had their carbon fibre umbrellas for protection anyway.

What kind of "lads" do you know that have an umbrella anyway?

Compulsary dress code when I were a skinhead lad

[Nickyboy]

Symbolica said:

Nickyboy said:

I came within about 20 yds of being struck a couple of years ago, massive bolt hit the ground as i was driving past a field, felt the shockwave thump through me as if someone had hit me with a baseball bat accumpanied by the loudest bang i've ever heard.

If you were in a car then you would've been fine, surely?

I was fine but you cant half feel the thump as it hits the ground tho