Danger!

[scrutch]

The story of my close call...

One day about a month and a half ago, I had the bass boat out on a local lake with my wife and three kids. We were pulling the kids around on our "big mable" tube when I looked up and saw what I consider "warning clouds". I told my wife that we needed to get off the water "right now!". The response was "why?? we're having so much fun".

The skies were mostly clear except for some altocumulus clouds coming in from the west. (I've attached a pic of what the "warning clouds" looked like that day)

I then explained to her that it would probably be storming on the water very soon.

So with three upset kids, and an angry wife, I loaded the boat and started down the road for home.

Within 30 minutes after getting off the lake, a massive thunderstorm arrived, moving at around 60 mph, bringing heavy lightning and rain and 70 mph straight line winds. That storm also produced an F2 tornado 5 miles north of the lake that we were on less than an hour before.

The water is now one of the few places that my wife actually trusts my judgement!

[VolFan]

I was fishing Lake Calderwood,one of the "Finger Lakes of the Smokies" in a kayak when a storm rolled in. My after a cast, the slack line actually went up and kind of suspended in the air. My carbon fiber paddle was also giving off a slight hum, as were my spare rods in their holders.  I made for shore and found a nice little cave-like overhang, made a little fire and had lunch while the squall blew through.  Freaked me out pretty bad though.

[bigbill]

Been there before we had a micro burst come thru and were heading out and all of a sudden the dark clouds rolled in and were in the middle of it with 4' waves.  My only thoughts were the stuff in my takle boxes which took me many years to fill them.  I could swim if i had too but my tackle?  We were full steam ahead to the boat dock, we were the last ones to get out.  I kissed the ground.

I got caught once before with a micro burst on my street legal twostroke dirtbike.  I was flying all the way home.  There were trees down all over the place too.

[WRB]

We are conductive lightning rods and need to find shelter from lightning strikes.

The idea of getting under a tall tree is wrong, do not get near or under anything that is tall and conductive because it can attract lightning. You want to get under cover that isn't tall or conductive if possible. You should get under low lying cover for shelter, you don't want to be the highest conductive thing out on the open water.

The sound of thunder travels about 4 to 5 seconds per mile, you will not hear lightning that strikes next to you, you may hear a load cracking sound. If you see a flash and hear a boom, count the seconds to determine how far away it is; less than 5 seconds it's too close and you may be in danger!

WRB

[Catt]

I can show y'all what lighting will do to aluminum