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Lightning Strikes

I do remember reading somewhere once that if you are caught out in the open and you think a lightning strike is imminent (not sure how you would know but what-the-hey) the best position to adopt is on your hands and knees with your backside higher than your head, as much as possible.
The 'logic' being that if you DO get struck by lightning that it will hit your butt first and take the easiest path to the ground, which would be down through your legs, thus missing all the important (or should I say more important) stuff...
 
Lightening never strikes twice or does it?
some people are just plain unlucky.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Sullivan

"Sullivan's wife was also struck once, when a storm suddenly arrived as she was out hanging clothes in their back yard. Her husband was helping her at the time, but escaped unharmed."

Hahahaha.....I can't help but laugh at that. Surely she must've known the chances, hanging around with 'Lightning Rod'. LOL.
 
I do remember reading somewhere once that if you are caught out in the open and you think a lightning strike is imminent (not sure how you would know ...)

One well-known clue is when your hair stands on end ...

In summer 1972 my brother and I were standing on the top level of a parking garage at a moment when thunderstorms had receded to some 2 - 5 miles' distance around our location. We both had shoulder-length hair. We were standing side by side as I pointed out the major landmarks around my university campus. When I turned to face him I froze and gaped. His hair was standing straight out from his head, like a dandelion seed head.

When I backed away and told him what I was seeing, he replied with 3 words that chilled me to the bone - "Yours is, too!" I raised my hands and confirmed my own hair was similarly standing on end in all directions. We both realized what this meant, dropped to the concrete, and scuttled to the stairway / exit as fast as we could.

Neither one of us had felt any prickliness or other sensation(s) that gave us clues about our state of high 'charge'.
 
Here's a 1995 abstract summarizing the range of possible damages. Many peer-reviewed research papers on the subject can be found online.


Kleinschmidt-DeMasters BK.
Neuropathology of lightning-strike injuries
Semin Neurol. 1995 Dec;15(4):323-8.
doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1041039. PMID: 8848648.

Abstract
When a person is struck by lightning a spectrum of neurologic damage can result. Approximately one third of the strikes prove to be fatal. The possibility of damage to the CNS relates to the type of lightning injury (direct strike, stride potential, or side flash), the intensity and duration of the current, the pathway of the current within the body, and secondary injuries to brain either from cardiac arrest and hypoxia or from physical trauma. Direct strikes to the head have a high degree of fatality and often result in petechiae or larger brain hemorrhages. Although there may be some predilection for the petechiae to occur in the brainstem, the larger hemorrhages may be particularly located near the pathway of the electrical current and result from direct damage to brain vasculature. Enlarged perivascular spaces seen histologically are relatively subtle; they have been attributed to the effects of gas bubbles from electrolysis, heat formation, or both. Small vessel thrombi and neuronal changes may be present nearby. Some brain tissue softening and edema may be direct effects of passage of current. Often, however, hypoxic encephalopathy and cerebral edema occur following cardiopulmonary arrest when the passage of the current through the body presumably generates cardiac arrhythmias. Considerably less is known about the spinal cord injuries in lightning strike, although one detailed recent study suggests that demyelination may be an underlying mechanism. Similarly, myelin damage appears to be a feature of electrical and possibly lightning injury to the peripheral nervous system.

SOURCE: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8848648/
The lightning charge can follow blood vessels and nerves and leave marks on the skin called Lichtenberg Figures (example below):
0_MAIN-Struck-By-Lightning.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichtenberg_figure
 
Mentioned in this report on accidents in England 2020-21:
News story

"Despite spending more time at home, the number of people needing assistance after being struck by lightning rose from three cases in 2019/20 to 18 in 2020/21."

A side effect of climate change, sadly. Nothing like as bad as India, I suppose, but that's not much comfort if Thor gets ya.
 
What are the chances?

Man killed by lightning on day one of cycle trip across Argentina
German Neculman, 39, was struck by a bolt of lightning and killed just one day into his trip of a lifetime across Argentina which was nine years in the making

His epic journey was meant to take 130 hours to complete but he was reportedly struck by lightning near the town of Abra Pampa, in Jujuy province, at the beginning of his trip.

Neculman had headed out on his bike on January 4.

The following day at around 5.30pm, he was walking along the road with two friends when he was suddenly struck by lightning.
1641862801136.png
 
One well-known clue is when your hair stands on end ...

In summer 1972 my brother and I were standing on the top level of a parking garage at a moment when thunderstorms had receded to some 2 - 5 miles' distance around our location. We both had shoulder-length hair. We were standing side by side as I pointed out the major landmarks around my university campus. When I turned to face him I froze and gaped. His hair was standing straight out from his head, like a dandelion seed head.

When I backed away and told him what I was seeing, he replied with 3 words that chilled me to the bone - "Yours is, too!" I raised my hands and confirmed my own hair was similarly standing on end in all directions. We both realized what this meant, dropped to the concrete, and scuttled to the stairway / exit as fast as we could.

Neither one of us had felt any prickliness or other sensation(s) that gave us clues about our state of high 'charge'.

This has probably been mentioned before, in which case here it is again:

There's a photo online of brothers Michael and Sean McQuilken, aged 18 and 12, whose hair is doing that seconds before they were struck and injured by lightning. They had no idea of the danger even when a ring Michael was wearing started to buzz loudly.
 
This is the time of year that some weird spring weather plagues the US. A snow/ice/wind/rain event hit the eastern US. This included lightning in Herkimer County, New York that local weather scientists think may have been produced thanks to a wind turbine farm. The moving blades may aid in charge separation under certain conditions that generate upward-moving lightning. Thus, artificial lightning!
https://cbs6albany.com/weather/weather-extra/not-only-snow-but-weird-wind-and-artificial-lightning-part-of-the-april-18-19-2022-storm
 
Blackpool tower lightening strike many years back.




blackpool.tower,lightning-1949.jpg
 
Lightning shatters toilet.

https://newsnationnow.com/us-news/m...ing-through-apartment-buildings-exhaust-vent/
----------------------

Firefighters with the Okmulgee Fire Department were called to the scene of an incident at an apartment building on Wednesday night, after a bolt of lightning traveled through the exhaust vent and shattered a toilet in one of the units.

No one was injured, but the toilet was “severely damaged,” Fire Chief Dewayne Hurt wrote in a statement shared with Nexstar.
 

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Lightning shatters toilet.

https://newsnationnow.com/us-news/m...ing-through-apartment-buildings-exhaust-vent/
----------------------

Firefighters with the Okmulgee Fire Department were called to the scene of an incident at an apartment building on Wednesday night, after a bolt of lightning traveled through the exhaust vent and shattered a toilet in one of the units.

No one was injured, but the toilet was “severely damaged,” Fire Chief Dewayne Hurt wrote in a statement shared with Nexstar.
Whoever was using that at the time, they really needed to go.
 
An unusually vigorous 24-hour period of lightning left 1 dead and 1 injured in southern California.
Woman dies from lightning as more than 50,000 strikes hit California

Chris Vagasky, a meteorologist with the company Vaisala that maps lightning strikes around in the world, said on Twitter on Wednesday evening that total of 54,329 lightning events were detected across California between 00 UTC June 22 to 00 UTC June 23. ...

"The most in a single day since September 8, 2017, when 56,059 were detected," Vagasky said. "This is the 6th highest daily total since 2015." ...

"This is an anomalous event for June," Vagasky said. "California’s most active period for lightning is usually from July to September once the monsoon has really established itself." ...

A woman and her dogs were reportedly struck and killed by lightning Wednesday morning in Pico Rivera, a city about 15 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles ...

About a 160 miles northeast of Pico Rivera, a man was struck by lightning in Ridgecrest at about 7:30 a.m. while pushing a baby in a stroller and walking a dog, said Ridgecrest Police Department Capt. Aaron Tucker.

"When officers arrived, they located a person suffering from a lightning strike, and person was providing CPR," said Tucker. "The victim regained consciousness. He was later transported to a hospital."

Tucker said the dog and the baby were not harmed. ...
FULL STORY: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/lightning-strikes-recorded-in-California-17258523.php
 
I know I wrote this once before here somewhere. Some years ago I was running to the house in a violent thunderstorm.
Just outside the door, a streak of lightning came down a few feet away from me, it was bright yellow and shot straight into the ground, making a loud sizzling sound, looked like it went right down into the soil. I had never seen that before or since.
Now I can see how lucky I was.
 
This Florida woman captured a slow-mo video of lightning striking the vehicle in front of her (a truck in which the rest of the family was riding).
Woman captures the moment lightning strikes her husband's car

During a storm in Tampa, Florida, on July 1, Michaelle May Whalen decided that it would be a cool idea to try to get a video of the lightning as her family caravanned down the highway. Little did she know that the video she took would capture the lightning striking the truck in front of her, a truck that her husband and three children were in. ...

The shocking video shows the entire lifespan of the bolt. First, a blinding light envelops the screen, with nothing visible but the searing hot electric energy. Then, as the bright light fades, an orange explosion can be seen hitting her husband's truck, with tiny sparks flying in all directions. ...
FULL STORY (With Video): https://www.accuweather.com/en/weat...nt-lightning-strikes-her-husbands-car/1213170

VIDEO (Direct Link): https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/wE4eAjZx
 
I remember a article about a guy out fishing in a boat,
a thunder storm blew up and the others took cover
in the cabin, he was urged to come inside but instead
standing up arms out and shouted "take me god,"
God delivered.
:omr:
 
A Saskatchewan farmer lost 28 cattle (not counting unborn calves) killed by lightning over this past weekend. They represent 1/3 of his total herd.
'Worst thing I've ever seen on the farm': Sask. family loses nearly 30 cattle to lightning strike

A family in southwest Saskatchewan is facing both a financial and emotional loss after 28 of their cattle were struck and killed by lightning.

“It’s probably the worst thing I’ve ever seen on the farm,” Glen Briere, the farm owner, said through tears.

“When I got there it made me sick to my stomach to see what I had seen.” ...

Glen and his wife were out of town over the weekend. His brother-in-law was checking on the cows on Sunday morning when he made the discovery.

There were 14 cows, 13 calves and one herd sire dead along a fence in their pasture.

“It was Friday night when that storm we had had very severe lightning,” Glen said. “[The lightning] most definitely hit the fence.” ...

In a statement, the Ministry of Agriculture said lightning strikes causing death in livestock is a “rare occurrence” in Saskatchewan. ...
FULL STORY (With Photo): https://regina.ctvnews.ca/worst-thi...early-30-cattle-to-lightning-strike-1.5983000
 
I suggest getting some copper shirts and trousers, pop them on, go out in a thunderstorm, head up a high hill and shout "All gods are bastards". That'll do it.
I think you can only get hold of them ~ if your in 'The Force!'
 
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This Florida woman captured a slow-mo video of lightning striking the vehicle in front of her (a truck in which the rest of the family was riding).

FULL STORY (With Video): https://www.accuweather.com/en/weat...nt-lightning-strikes-her-husbands-car/1213170

VIDEO (Direct Link): https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/wE4eAjZx
I thought I'd go back and examine this video, as it's quite a 'striking' () capture.
After a number of views I realised that in fact in the ladies video, it actually captures two lighting strikes in ultra fast
succession, as these following clips clearly illustrate. . .
*Strike One:

Strike One.jpg
*Strike Two:
Strike Two.jpg
*food for thought ~
In the snip (below), I caught it - as it catches the after-combustion of the gases that are naturally in the 'air' after the high voltage current has passed through it!
I think the puddles of water lying by the side of the road might have a lot to do with it, to?
Lightning.jpg
 
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Monsoon season lightning casualties are mounting in India. Twenty people were killed in 8 locations across Bihar state yesterday.
DEATH FROM ABOVE At least 20 killed by lightning bolts in just one DAY as apocalyptic electrical storm strikes

AT LEAST 20 people have been killed in a single day by an apocalyptic lightning storm.

India is facing horrific storms brought on by monsoon season - and authorities have urged people to stay inside until the weather clears. ...

Emergency authorities have urged people to take care after the 20 deaths in the state of Bihar rocked the country on Tuesday. ...

Seven people were killed im Kamiur, four in Bhojpur, four in Patna, and one in Aurangabad, Rohtas, Arwal, Siwan and Jehanabad. ...

Hundreds of people die every year in lightning strikes during monsoon season in India.

Bihar is particularly at risk from lightning storms due to its position on India's eastern border with Nepal.

Satellite data shows that strikes across the country "increased rapidly" between 1995 and 2015, according to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.

And from April 2020 to march 2021, India was hit by 18million lightning strikes - a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.

And just last year, one day in July saw 38 people killed in 24 hours across two Indian states. ...
FULL STORY: https://www.thesun.ie/news/9161938/lightning-strikes-death-storm-india/
 
Three dead and one is critical after lightning strike near the White House

The two men and two women were struck by a bolt that hit the ground during a severe storm while they visited Washington DC's Lafayette Square, just north of the White House, last Thursday.

The lightning hit near a tree that stands yards away from the fence that surrounds the presidential residence and offices across from the square, which is often crowded with visitors, especially in the summer months.

All four victims sustained critical, life-threatening injuries, and were taken to area hospitals. Two of them later died: James Mueller, 76, and Donna Mueller, 75, from Janesville, Wisconsin, the Metropolitan Police Department said.

Later on Friday a third victim, a 29-year-old male, was pronounced dead, the Metropolitan Police Department said.
1659786377392.png
 
This Alabama teen took a lightning strike to the chest as she was walking to class on her first day at a Florida university. She's lucky to have survived.
Lightning struck a teenage girl in her chest on her first day of college — melting her clothes and exploding her Apple Watch

A college freshman was struck by lightning on the first day of classes and survived despite a close call with her heart, local news stations WEAR-TV and WKRG reported this week.

Emma Eggler, 18, said doctors told her she was "very lucky" to be alive, as the lightning strike narrowly missed her heart. The shock could have caused a fatal heart attack in an older person, but Eggler escaped with second-degree burns and bruises. ...

Eggler said she didn't feel the impact of the lightning strike when it hit her — one moment she was on her feet, and then she woke up on the ground unable to move or speak. Her electronics were fried and her shirt melted to her body, leaving burns on her chest, stomach, and wrist. ...

The freshman was walking to her last class of the day when she was struck in the chest. ...

"I didn't realize that I had been struck by lightning, I was more embarrassed because I thought I tripped and fell on the ground," Eggler told WKRG. "Then, I realized I couldn't move, I couldn't speak and I couldn't do anything."

... Eggler said she remembers "really panicking" as she thought she was paralyzed.

Fortunately, Eggler regained feeling and movement in her legs during her short hospital stay. The burns on her stomach were the worst of her injuries ...

The electricity from the lightning bolt traveled down the left side of her body, from her chest to her foot.

Eggler was left with holes in her sock and sneaker where the current exited her body. Her Apple Watch exploded when the electricity surged through her body, causing the burns on her wrist. ...
FULL STORY (With Photos): https://www.yahoo.com/news/lightning-struck-teenage-girl-her-201607062.html
 
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