So many people being struck by lightning !

youtube!

Another today in Lisburn (unfortunate name )

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/man-critically-injured-by-lisburn-lightning-strike-two-children-suffer-burn-injuries-34779608.html

It got me thinking at just how prevalent this is becoming in the past month they have been occurring literally every other day, France, Germany, Ukraine, Poland, Italy and many more.

One thing I have noticed in this report however is that the man was on his mobile at the time and it got me thinking that perhaps it is happening more often these days because our smart phones are acting as a conductor, and if this is indeed the case then rather it being the finger of God displeased at our antics maybe it's just a product of our modern way of life, of course I am probably completely wrong, any experts care to try to explain it?

stimpson

You have more chance of winning the lotto.

smash

youtube! wrote: »

any experts care to try to explain it?

Thor!

CFlat

It's shocking.

Timberrrrrrrr

Lightening will take the least path of resistance to the ground, if the man was in the open then he would have been struck no matter as he was the tallest thing in the area, it's why you never shelter under trees during lightening. Hopefully they all make a full recovery.

youtube!

stimpson wrote: »

You have more chance of winning the lotto.

No with my luck I would actually win the lotto and get struck by lightning as am about to cash it in.

Water John

Yeah, that's why if you are caught out in a thunder storm, you should do the unlikely thing and lie out flat in a field.

Winterlong

I am shocked.

meeeeh

It's season for the storms, they would be quite common where I come from. Plus half of the time people stand under the tree when rain starts falling.

kneemos

Water John wrote: »

Yeah, that's why if you are caught out in a thunder storm, you should do the unlikely thing and lie out flat in a field.

Not a good idea to lay in wet ground either,the shock will travel if it hits nearby.
I suggest a tinfoil hat.

whiskeyman

There's way too many lightning bolts coming in here.
We need more lightning controls put in place.
Strike back and vote 'Leave' for Brexit!

Timberrrrrrrr

whiskeyman wrote: »

There's way too many lightning bolts coming in here.
We need more lightning controls put in place.
Strike back and vote 'Leave' for Brexit!

I blame DO'B

SEPT 23 1989

Fun fact

You know you are going to get hit because a split second before the strike all your hair stands up on end and then the slight discomfort begins as the bolt enters your body

imitation

Lightning strikes have always been a big danger in many parts of the world. I reckon in europe most lightning storms usually have a nice lash of rain to go along with them, which means most people are indoors and not at risk. The last bout have been occuring in dry weather, when everybody is outside relaxing. Unfortunately people are water filled conductor bags so they are good targets.

I read before even most survivors are wet when they are stuck as the lightning travels over the wet clothes and skin instead of through all the vital organs. Smart phones have no impact, they are incased in glass and plastic.

If you hear thunder, then get inside a house or a car till it passes over. Its no joke even getting partially struck as you could be in pain for the rest of your life due to fried nerve endings !

smash

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Fun fact

You know you are going to get hit because a split second before the strike all your hair stands up on end and then the slight discomfort begins as the bolt enters your body

The trick is to levitate!

Renegade Mechanic

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Fun fact

You know you are going to get hit because a split second before the strike all your hair stands up on end and then the slight discomfort begins as the bolt enters your body

Which is pretty awful really, because you have time to think, analyse and realise exactly whats about to happen to you, and there's nothing you can do about it

CFlat

There use to be a circuit band back in the 80s called Lighting Strikes. I just thought ye might be interested in that.

Barry Badrinath

I know a guy that was struck by thunder.

Twentybilliontimes

So there!

The Backwards Man

My Granda taught me the safest place to be when lightning strikes when I was a wee fella.

Somewhere else.

SEPT 23 1989

CFlat wrote: »

There use to be a circuit band back in the 80s called Lighting Strikes. I just thought ye might be interested in that.

Hopefully that piece of information will save lives

kneemos

A church . I'll never hit a church.

suicide_circus

Not that funny in this case with one child serious and the other critical in hospital.

Sky King

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

, it's why you never shelter under trees during lightening. Hopefully they all make a full recovery.

Given your user name - I guess you're referring to the trees yeah?

youtube!

It's definitely happening a lot more often this past few weeks .

failinis

I remember being told to do this, if I was out on flat ground or on a hill/mountain and no chance of getting inside a car or a house at the time.
Might be bull **** but sure might help someone.

http://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2014/May/lightning-strike.jpg

The Backwards Man

youtube! wrote: »

It's definitely happening a lot more often this past few weeks .

You're definitely reading a few more stories in the news about lightning strikes this last few weeks. Lightning kills thousands of people a year, every year, always has and always will.

Wetwipe65

Timberrrrrrrr wrote:

Lightening will take the least path of resistance to the ground, if the man was in the open then he would have been struck no matter as he was the tallest thing in the area, it's why you never shelter under trees during lightening. Hopefully they all make a full recovery.

Water John wrote:

Yeah, that's why if you are caught out in a thunder storm, you should do the unlikely thing and lie out flat in a field.

I would have thought, standing near a tree would be best, the tree is taller than me therefore the tree would be struck? If you lie down in the middle of a open area, you are still the tallest thing in that area?

Ficheall

I've never understood how lightning/electricity "knows" which is the path of least resistance route. Like, if you stood a 120m tall rubber dildo beside the spire in Dublin, how would the lightning pick which was easier to get through? Does it send out little feelers or somesuch somehow?

failinis

Wetwipe65 wrote: »

I would have thought, standing near a tree would be best, the tree is taller than me therefore the tree would be struck? If you lie down in the middle of a open area, you are still the tallest thing in that area?

Do not stand near a tree, if the lightning hits the tree it likely will fall, or send out shards of wood, and it still spreads out on the ground once it hits as well.
Or in the unlikely event it will miss the tree and get you I suppose.

The Backwards Man

Wetwipe65 wrote: »

I would have thought, standing near a tree would be best, the tree is taller than me therefore the tree would be struck? If you lie down in the middle of a open area, you are still the tallest thing in that area?

It's what happens after the tree is struck that makes standing under a tree dangerous, there's a possibility the current, or the tree itself, will jump through you.

meeeeh

Irc my father's aunt and two other women were working in the field when they were caught by storm. They sat under nice big three that was on it's own. The lightning struck and only dad's aunt who was sitting in the middle survived. Anyway even as a child I was told to stay away from trees or avoid going into the mountains if there was a storm coming. I would guess relatively less people get killed now because there is less manual work in the fields.

For whatever reason area around our house was popular and I remember a lightning struck at neighbour's house once and twice into the woods right behind our house. I slept right through it once and only found out a few days later. I'm not overly scared of thunderstorms but l wouldn't fancy being somewhere in Alps during one.

bodhrandude

Probably the most unluckiest festival of last weekend. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dozens-hospitalised-after-lightning-strikes-at-germanys-rock-am-ring-festival-for-second-year-in-a-a7065191.html

Mint Aero

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

Lightening will take the least path of resistance to the ground, if the man was in the open then he would have been struck no matter as he was the tallest thing in the area, it's why you never shelter under trees during lightening. Hopefully they all make a full recovery.

How does lightning determine the least path? God?

Your Face

You tube.

CFlat

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Hopefully that piece of information will save lives

Id like to think it would, but I'm not holding out much hope.

pajor

bodhrandude wrote: »

Probably the most unluckiest festival of last weekend. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dozens-hospitalised-after-lightning-strikes-at-germanys-rock-am-ring-festival-for-second-year-in-a-a7065191.html

On Friday night I was at a big fundraiser in the town I live in (east NL) for the Dutch cancer foundation (KWF). Event was a 24 hour thing on a football pitch in town. At around 10pm a mad storm began. Thunder and lightning from three sides. And then it began to pour rain. And I really mean pour down. The nighttime event was just about to start. Survivors of cancer and families of the deceased were to give speeches about experiences. Pathetic fallacy if I ever saw it. At 11pm it was decided by organisers that it was too dangerous with the lightning and everything was called off until the next morning.

Saw then on Saturday morning about the Rock am Ring. Was so glad the decision was made here to postpone. Wasn't a risk worth taking.

jimgoose

Ficheall wrote: »

I've never understood how lightning/electricity "knows" which is the path of least resistance route. Like, if you stood a 120m tall rubber dildo beside the spire in Dublin, how would the lightning pick which was easier to get through? Does it send out little feelers or somesuch somehow?

Lighting takes the path of least impedance, not resistance. Lightning is not DC. And it splits air into plasma by sheer horsepower, eventually bulldozing it's own electrical circuit. Stay out of it's way.

Renegade Mechanic

jimgoose wrote: »

Lighting takes the path of least impedance, not resistance. Lightning is not DC. And it splits air into plasma by sheer horsepower, eventually bulldozing it's own electrical circuit. Stay out of it's way.

Hotter than the sun. That's why you hear the bang, it's the air suddenly expanding because of that heat, way faster than the sound barrier.

Like most things, they expand when heated, and expand a lot when heated a lot.
Look at this tree, for example. Nowhere for the expansion to go, so it just explodes.
https://youtu.be/pBwkGtroA-I

What I want to know is how in the name of God do people not just burst when the same happens to them!?

Pherekydes

Ficheall wrote: »

I've never understood how lightning/electricity "knows" which is the path of least resistance route. Like, if you stood a 120m tall rubber dildo beside the spire in Dublin, how would the lightning pick which was easier to get through? Does it send out little feelers or somesuch somehow?

Mint Aero wrote: »

How does lightning determine the least path? God?

Water flows downhill. How does it know which way is downhill?

Broken Hearted Road

failinis wrote: »

I remember being told to do this, if I was out on flat ground or on a hill/mountain and no chance of getting inside a car or a house at the time.
Might be bull **** but sure might help someone.

http://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2014/May/lightning-strike.jpg

I took a screenshot of the image you put up and I'm fairly tempted to practise this position as a just in case measure.

There's no details with this image. If you are out and thunder and lightening happens, with no house or car to get in to, and it's close to you, do you get into this position and wait for the lightening and thunder to pass.


I remember as a child walking with my mother to the village in a thunderstorm and lightening struck before us. It was very bright.

failinis

Broken Hearted Road wrote: »

I took a screenshot of the image you put up and I'm fairly tempted to practise this position as a just in case measure.

There's no details with this image. If you are out and thunder and lightening happens, with no house or car to get in to, and it's close to you, do you get into this position and wait for the lightening and thunder to pass.


I remember as a child walking with my mother to the village in a thunderstorm and lightening struck before us. It was very bright.

Had a google to see when you should and gave me this:
Seems when it is very close and you get certain signs its a good idea to do that pose.

Which is all well and good, but none of this is of much use if you have no idea what to look for pre-electric-touchdown. So what are the signs of an impending strike? According to the Art of Manliness:

Use the 30/30 Rule: If, after seeing lightning, you can't count to 30 before hearing thunder, get inside a building or car. Don't go outside until 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder...

If you're caught outdoors and see signs that a lightning strike is imminent (your hair stands on end, your skin tingles, you hear a buzzing, clicking, hissing, or cracking sound, or see metal objects emitting a soft, blue-white glow) or you simply think you're in danger, immediately assume the position above to increase your chances of surviving, should the lightning strike you directly, or close to you.

http://gizmodo.com/how-to-survive-getting-struck-by-lightning-1568413388

The logic behind it, what I was told anyway, is that if lightening hits the ground near you (say a tree or whatever) or hits you directly, it will go from one foot, through the ankles, and down the other foot.
Instead of up a leg, around the heart and back down the other leg.
So you give a safe "circuit" and less chance of it blowing your heart into confusion.

I know its unlikely it will happen (and not sure how strong the science behind it is).

Broken Hearted Road

I got into the position above. I don't know how I will be at keeping the position for a few minutes but something to practice all the the same.

Some tips for others who would like to practise this.

-Stand with your feet together.
-Move feet apart while keeping the heels together
-Bend down
-Lift heels off ground.