lima_bean

ill ride through just about any weather condition there is BUT lightning.

wahoonc

In response to bike2math about lightning strikes in a given area...the numbers are skewed. Some areas are going to get struck more often by lightning than others, FL vs NH for example. I am not an engineer or geologist, but the most plausible theory I have heard for why lightning strikes more in one place than another has to do with underground water and other geologic formations. When I was doing the lightning system installs we did one house in a neighborhood on a cul de sac where one house had already been struck and severely damaged by the resulting fire. Two months later another house on the same cul de sac was struck, with minimal damage. We installed lightning rods on that one, the original one got struck again 6 months later and burned to the ground, in the same storm one of the ones that we had installed the system on took a hit but damage was minimal. This cul de sac is in a fairly low lying area, but there are tall trees around. There are around 300 homes in this subdivison, you would think that there would have been strikes in other parts of it. FWIW I have taken the precaution of installing lighting protection systems on all of my houses and barns. Cheap insurance IMHO, but then again I live in the Sandhills/Coastal Plains of NC which is a prime target for strikes and thunderstorms.

Aaron

Juggler2

All I'll say is that if lightning has enough power to jump an air-gap of a few miles, rubber soled shoes aren't much protection!

supcom

My experience has been that in neighborhoods where I have lived, several houses over the years have burned down from lightning strikes (not all in the same neighborhood). I had a large tree in the backyard of a house I was living in stuck by lightning.

My experience, like your's, proves nothing. Anecdotal evidence is not reliable. but I understand that when there is lightning in the area, it can, and does occasionally strike people. I also know that if I'm out standing around or riding a bike, there is nothing I can do to minimize my chances of being struck other than by seeking shelter. It's not like riding in simple rain, heat. or cold, or heavy traffic where proper technique and preparation protects you from the dangers. It doesn't matter what kind of bike you ride, or what clothing you wear. Although the likelihood of being struck is low, the impact, should it happen, is devastating.

I suggest that anyone planning to ignore lightning go to the National Weather Service website and read their lightning safety information. You'll learn good safety tips on what kinds of shelter are effective (hint: carports provide NO protection from lightning), and how to minimize your chances of being struck if you get caught out in the open with no shelter nearby.

Riv-Lantis

I'll ride through it if I HAVE to, but avoid it if I can.

For instance, if I need to get home from work and there's a storn on the horizon, I'll ride right into it. But if I'm just wanting to go to the store, I'll wait for the storm to pass.

bike2math

I'm not sure that one can (at least in Ohio) advocate extreme caution during a thunderstorm and advocate that the masses should live car free. The fact is that at least a handful of times a year there are continuous lines of thunderstorms for large stretches of time here, what is the car free person supposed to do? Skip work for the day?

wahoonc

Why not car dependent commuters come up with excuses all the time that can't be used by car free; my car broke down, I ran out of gas, there was a major wreck/traffic jam/etc on the freeway...

Aaron

gwd

Right. Don't forget snow days when the car dependent skip work and the car free arrive on time and put in a full day.

stonecrd

Never ride when there is lightening. What is really scary is we have had two people die down here in the last couple of weeks from lightening when the storm was no where near them. They call it a bolt from the blue, what happens is that the lightening occurs miles from where the storm is. Not sure how you avoid that.

Good news down here in FL is that most of the schools, golf course etc have lightening warning systems. So you hear the horns go off before the storms get close.

wahoonc

stonecrd,
You avoid it by living and working near someone that has a lightning dectector I almost always check the forecast prior to going for a ride. If you go to wunderground.com and use the local radar setting and check show lightning strikes it will give you an idea of what is in the area and they you can make your decision. Florida is a hard one. IIRC there is only one other place in the world that has more lightning strikes per square mile than Florida.


Aaron

stonecrd

If you have ridden down here you will know that weather forecasts are not very good. i.e. the chance of rain almost everyday in the summer is around 30% but somewhere within 30 miles of me it is raining. I have seen storms where it is raining on one side of the street and not the other. Severe storms pop up in minutes, you can go riding with clear blue skies and then the next thing you know a thunderstorm is over your head. Its not like the midwest where a front moves through and you can see it coming for hours.

Also if I didn't go out riding right before, after or continue during a rain storm I would not get much riding done in the summer. The warning systems let me know whether I am just going to be wet or I should ride like a demon for home.

supcom

Yes. A handful of times per year, assuming that there is continuous lightning in the area, it would be prudent to take the day off or arrange for a safe alternate transportation.

wahoonc

Spent close to a year working in Largo/Tampa area...during the late summer you could set your watch by the storms coming in across the bay...

Aaron

Raiyn

Ditto

bike2math

Haha! Yeah, try that with any of the boses I've had. If I told my supervisor that I would be a few hours late because I was scared of the squall line coming through and needed to find a friend who wasn't working to drive me, his response would be something along the lines of: "Show up in the next 25 minutes or don't bother showing up again; we'll ship the stuff in your office to you."

I could use public transit (and would end up being an hour late, and having to walk outside in the thunderstorm I was trying to avoid for a half hour; not so sure that is a safer option). Besides, public transit!! I'd rather be hit by lightning sometimes, I had a guy pee behind me once!

Sure in the perfect world it would be no worse than calling in because of a snow day. But last time I checked this isn't a perfect world.

twobikes

Those who minimize or ignore the dangers of lightning and choose to ride a bicycle in the vicinity of thunderstorms are great candidates for a Darwin Award.

Cyclaholic

Riding when there's lightning is perfectly safe, all you need is a friend that's into tall bikes to ride along beside you.

gwd

They were pretty regular on the east coast too, but were brief. As a boy delivering newspapers by bike I road in the rain but when the lightning got close I hid at a gas station or some other business along the route. I did the five second thing.

twobikes

I think you are joking, like the guy who said he did not need to outrun the lion, just anyone else being chased by the lion. Actually, if lightning struck another taller rider near to you there is strong danger it would jump to you as well.

Roody

Agreed. But sometimes I've actually gone to work a little early (bike or bus) in order to beat a storm that was approaching. Carfree works best for those who plan ahead and adapt.

Cyclaholic

I think you are right

daredevil

The ultimate optimist.

Wogster

Depends, if they are calling for just a regular thunderstorm, then get ahold of a computer, go to the weather service site, and check the radar:

In Canada go to The Weather office, select radar imagery off the left side, and then pick the nearest station to your home.

In the US go to NOAA, on the left side, under Todays weather, type your city and state, then select radar from the forecast page.

In either case the radar image shows different colours, there is a scale on the map, a light blue is usually okay, and you can animate the map, to see which way it's going and how fast. What you don't want to see is yellows and reds, they mean that there is nasty stuff around, of course if the nasty stuff isn't heading your way, you may be okay to ride. If you hear thunder, it's too close for comfort, take the bus.

Severe thunderstorms on the other hand, if a watch or warning is issued, stay where you are, severe thunderstorms can spawn all kinds of stuff, including tornadoes and winds high enough to uproot trees and damage buildings.

Nycycle

Well now that I think about it, if it's a regular storm, I'm ok, but we get some desert storms around here and they can get spooky. I mean like strike right next to me 3 times in 5 mins.