BS: 15,000 lightning strikes in four hours

Subject: BS: 15,000 lightening. Strikes in four hours
From: DMcG
Date: 27 May 18 - 03:48 AM

There were very impressive lightening storms in the UK last night, with some impressive photographs here.

Especially remarkable is that quite a few of them show lightening that is, apparently, cloud to cloud. People always seem to draw lightening as ending at the ground, but there are some examples of what you might characterise as 'horizontal' rather than 'vertical'

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening. Strikes in four hours
From: Iains
Date: 27 May 18 - 03:52 AM

https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/lightning/types/

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening. Strikes in four hours
From: Donuel
Date: 27 May 18 - 09:18 AM

Decades ago I witnessed a lightening storm so intense I could read by the steady illumination.

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening strikes in four hours
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 May 18 - 09:27 AM

As a mountain climber in the Pacific Northwest I worked on various peak restoration projects, when fire lookouts were being maintained and groups would send volunteers up to carry materials, paint, do carpentry repairs, etc. Three of us hiked up a peak in the Puget Sound area and were there for the most amazing lightning storm around us—the air sizzled pink and the strikes barely dimmed before another hit. We had to stay in the grounded lookout, where we put on our rubber souled boots that rested on the wooden floor, put a rubber sleeping pad on the wooden bench and sat side by side on it not touching another thing for the half hour or so that it took for the whole storm to pass. I wouldn't have missed it for the world, to actually be up there in the middle of the storm.

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening strikes in four hours
From: Raedwulf
Date: 27 May 18 - 10:14 AM

I could do with a few lightening strikes. Though not lightning strikes! ;-)

If memory serves, the vast majority of lightning is cloud to cloud & it's all bolt. Lightning, quite literally, takes the path of least resistance, so always travels as a bolt. Sheet is simply the reflected flash of a cloud to cloud strike.

I still remember the first time I ever saw a bolt. I was sat in my Instructor's car, waiting to do my driving test (Tanners Lane, Barking). The heavens opened; still one of the heaviest downpours I've ever witnessed. The road gave me a clear view to some tall building in the distance - *CRACK*, oh great that's all I need, test in 10 minutes...

The rain stopped before the test & I passed first time, somewhat to my surprise!

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening strikes in four hours
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 27 May 18 - 10:32 AM

I have never known such an intense lightning storm to last so long - over 2 hours in South Croydon!

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening strikes in four hours
From: keberoxu
Date: 27 May 18 - 11:19 AM

Pedantry alert!

There is such a thing as "lightening".

You can see for yourself how it differs from lightning.

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening strikes in four hours
From: DMcG
Date: 27 May 18 - 11:24 AM

Haha. 15,000 in 4 hours would be a real strain on the NHS...

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening strikes in four hours
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 May 18 - 11:32 AM

We understood what you meant, regardless of the typo. No point in fixing the title now. ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening strikes in four hours
From: Senoufou
Date: 27 May 18 - 03:09 PM

My husband rang his brother in Abidjan, Ivory Coast today, to see how their Ramadan is going. There was one heck of a thunderstorm going on over there, he couldn't hear his brother due to the deafening crashes and the torrential rain. But one thing he did hear was that dozens of rats in his family courtyard have drowned, due to the huge amount of surface water pouring into their burrows. His brother did say that their rotting corpses 'smell a bit'. Understatement of the year I reckon!

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening strikes in four hours
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 27 May 18 - 06:36 PM

I was up in Lancashire for three days and missed the whole bloody thing! Mrs Steve regaled me with apocalyptic news of a terrible thunderstorm, but when I got home there was only 7mm in the rainfall pot. Heard in the news today about terrible storms around Birmingham (who bloody cares...) this afternoon, but I got through the area a couple of hours before they struck. Bought a lovely piece of brisket at Gloucester Services, by the way. Better luck tomorrow...

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening strikes in four hours
From: robomatic
Date: 28 May 18 - 05:21 PM

I say fix the title. Why persist in error (except for the usual suspects!)?

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening strikes in four hours
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 28 May 18 - 07:30 PM

"Who bloody cares..." Abject apologies for that misplaced comment, made before I'd heard the horrible news from the West Midlands...

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening strikes in four hours
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 May 18 - 08:34 PM

The weather ought to lighten up.

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening strikes in four hours
From: Senoufou
Date: 30 May 18 - 03:53 AM

We have only had a couple of rolls of thunder two days ago, but nothing since. We dry-grouted our patio yesterday, and debated sprinkling some water gently onto the grout to make it set, but my husband was tired so we left it.
Last night we woke up to terrific lightning, great claps of thunder and rain pounding down.
I was worried it had washed all the grout out of the gaps. But when I peered out at dawn, the cement/sand mix had set beautifully. Everything is fresh, and our lawns are now nice and green. I won't even have to refill the two birdbaths or water the tubs of summer flowers.

I did spare a though though for those poor folk in the Midlands, who as Steve says, have had a terrible time with flash flooding and travel disruption etc.

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightening strikes in four hours
From: Senoufou
Date: 30 May 18 - 03:56 AM

'thought though', not 'though though'! Buttery crumpet crumbs on my keyboard - you have to press harder to make some letters work.

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightning strikes in four hours
From: robomatic
Date: 30 May 18 - 02:33 PM

I almost never get to see lightning nor hear thunder. We just don't have much of it in the far north. I kinda miss being scared by Thor.

Thanks for changing the spelling error in the thread title. I'll sleep much better unless Thor wants to exert himself.

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightning strikes in four hours
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 30 May 18 - 07:33 PM

Meanwhile, here in Scotland, we have been having beautiful sunshine most of the time: after the morning haar has burned off. But mustn't get smug or complacent: think it's our turn for the rain and thunder/lightning tomorrow! So sorry for those who've experienced the worst of it in the Midlands.

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightning strikes in four hours
From: robomatic
Date: 31 May 18 - 09:09 PM

I had a professional assignment to engineer lightning protection for several industrial areas along the Alaska pipeline. Knowing that lightning is pretty rare in our part of the world I went into the job with a lot of doubts as to its utility, but that's what the customer wanted, I did my due diligence and got it done. A few months later there were indeed lightning strikes in the vicinity so I was kind of cheered up by the whole thing.

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightning strikes in four hours
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 01 Jun 18 - 03:23 PM

Well it finally arrived after lunchtime today. Non-torrential rain and distant rumbles of thunder........but it could get worse!

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightning strikes in four hours
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Jun 18 - 02:24 PM

No offense, Acme, but it made ME feel better, along with Robomatic,
to see the spell correction. Thanks.

Subject: RE: BS: 15,000 lightning strikes in four hours
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 03 Jun 18 - 02:38 PM

Yes because for a start, lightening is a present participle whereas lightning, the word we need here, is a noun!!!