Thunderstorms and Lighting

I ride until I get some place safe.

---

If it is raining, you are going to be wet, your bike will be wet, and you will be at the same potential as the ground.

Found this helpful link. http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/enviromentalissues/a/lightning.htm. Depends on how bad the storm was in my opinion. If it was really bad, I would get off the bike.

Lightning?

This morning I would have had to out-race a light blizzard.

As usual, our benevolent government overlords have some really great advice on lightning safety when you are on a bicycle...

"Motorcyclist/Bicyclist: Protect yourself when on a bicycle, motorcycle or dirt bike. Carry a portable NOAA Weather Radio or listen to commercial radio. If you see threatening skies in the distance and you are near a safe building, pull over and wait 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder before resuming your ride."

http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/outdoors.htm

Well, all righty then! We'll just "protect" ourselves when on a bicycle! Er...

If I'm going to die by lightning strike while riding, so be it. I consider it very unlikely. Trust me, I think that would be fine way to go. Just wouldn't want to end up maimed.

Quote by MBB:
"Just wouldn't want to end up maimed."

[IMG]cyclingforums.com700Open ↗[/IMG]

Not a chance...

My closest call in 2011

thecyclingaddiction.blogspot.combrewery to cagle road lighting fast.htmlOpen ↗

Three strikes really close and yet it was sort of sunny out where I was at the time. The last of the strikes happened right behind my back as I was trying to take shelter at a fire station. I was very grateful they had their roll up doors open and was motioning us to come in. I could feel a tingle, a blinding flash and a boom that literally shocked my heart.

In my 2011 post there were darker clouds ahead, which was my direction home, but there were no flashes of lightning or rumbles of thunder. That experience has changed the way I view cycling in a storm. Although I will spend a lot of time riding in the rain I just look at the weather predictions and if lightning is mentioned I stay inside and train.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Felt_Rider
My closest call in 2011

thecyclingaddiction.blogspot.combrewery to cagle road lighting fast.htmlOpen ↗

Three strikes really close and yet it was sort of sunny out where I was at the time. The last of the strikes happened right behind my back as I was trying to take shelter at a fire station. I was very grateful they had their roll up doors open and was motioning us to come in. I could feel a tingle, a blinding flash and a boom that literally shocked my heart.

In my 2011 post there were darker clouds ahead, which was my direction home, but there were no flashes of lightning or rumbles of thunder. That experience has changed the way I view cycling in a storm. Although I will spend a lot of time riding in the rain I just look at the weather predictions and if lightning is mentioned I stay inside and train.

I read about a guy down in NJ who was killed by lighting, standing on a sunny beach while a storm was still a couple miles offshore. Lighting can strike laterally---the proverbial bolt out of the blue.

Sound travels a mile in about 5 seconds. You see a bright flash, start counting. If you don't reach 10 before you hear the thunder, it's time to get off the bike and under some kind of shelter.

Perhaps I am stupid / lucky, but I have ridden in many thunderstorms - one was an all day event.

Assuming the "safe" position for an extended period of time would be silly as it increases your exposure time in the elements. I would only consider a duck and cover if there were signs of an impending strike.

Ride fast and get to a suitable shelter. If conditions are really hairy, knock on a strangers door and ask to wait it out in their garage.

Well, if you're out in an open area but there are trees, the lightning will most likely strike the highest point which would be a tree in the vicinity. Of course, it would be dangerous to be near this tree and you shouldn't use it for cover. Alternatively, you'll need to find the lowest point in that area like a small valley or basin. Move in that direction and I'd also advise you to get off your bike. Once the thunderstorm is over, get on your bike and ride towards your destination.

Lightning usually looks for the easiest path towards two points so it goes for the highest points or good conductors of electricity. So avoid trees, fences and bushes. Avoid open areas where you can easily be the highest point. I will probably bike and find the lowest point I can then go into lightning position. It involves crouching on the ground with your head lower than your shoulder, place a cloth or insulator under your feet to be safe from ground current.

I don't know much about how lightning works but I think my instinct would be to get off the bike and try to get out of the open. The only thing I really know is that you don't want to be the highest point so I'd just try to find cover somewhere.

That said, I've never been out in weather that was serious enough to be worried, so unless it seemed really bad, in all likelihood I would just keep going.

This thread is kind of making me realize I should brush up on what to do if I'm caught out in a storm though. We never really had lightning storms where I grew up, but where I'm living now the weather can get pretty crazy and I do a lot of hiking and outdoor sports so it would be good to know.

I've been caught out a few times when a heavy storm has hit but I never really worried about getting hit by lightning.

Maybe I was, or am, just oblivious but I found it pretty atmospheric with the darkened sky lighting up with the bolts and the almost deafening booms of the thunder claps.

I never really thought about it. I have ridden in all sorts of weather but I don't recall ridding in any thunder/lightning storms. I would probably get off the bike and find cover, but it would depend on what is available for cover and how bad the storm is.

I wasn't riding, I was driving instead, but yesterday there was a pretty heavy storm that passed over head with lightning strikes hitting the field next to the road.

It was pretty intense.

What a coincidence, the news last night told of a family that was hit by lightning. The 4 members are brought to the hospital with burns on their bodies. One of them has a burned arm that looks critical. The weather forecaster on tv always issue a warning on thunderstorms because the probability of being hit by lighting is always there. The advice is to stay away from open fields and as much as possible go inside a house or a building.

My best bet is that you should keep on riding and ride in an open area if it's present. It is never safe to get trapped under any green tree when there is lightning flashing. If you could calculate a direction from which the storm may be coming, then I suggest you ride in the opposite direction until you find a building to shelter in. That's why it's always best to listen the news as a rider. You will know beforehand the atmosphere into which you will be headed.

I would just keep on riding as long as there are taller objects than me around, to attract a lighting strike. In an urban environment practically everything is taller than me.

Thanks a ton

Bob

Keep riding until you find a safer place where there are other tall structures around. This thought scares me to death it brings back early childhood memories of a friend who got struck by lightning and got charred a bit.

Corzhens said:

What a coincidence, the news last night told of a family that was hit by lightning. The 4 members are brought to the hospital with burns on their bodies. One of them has a burned arm that looks critical. The weather forecaster on tv always issue a warning on thunderstorms because the probability of being hit by lighting is always there. The advice is to stay away from open fields and as much as possible go inside a house or a building.

Did they say where they were hen they were hit?

There were taller trees that line the road and big industrial warehouses backing on to the field but it was still quite an intense situation to be in.