>>> Had an interesting (and scary) experience with a lightning storm this weekend. No strikes near us and none on the water, not even to freighters and tugs traveling the waterway, but lots on the land at 2 miles and farther away, across a mile-wide river. However, one isolated, freaky cloud-to-cloud stroke directly overhead (flash and "crackle" were simultaneous) really put us into panic mode! We were headed directly toward the shore when the storm began, and hustled off the water to shelter ASAP, but this developed so quickly I am curious about the experiences of others. We rarely get lightning storms in Western Oregon where I live, so it is not a major hazard for us, but it must be a regular occurrence for others. Stories? -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR >>> ************************************************************************** * In some special circumstances it might be safer to remain on the water. Outdoor writer Cliff Jacobson says there is a cone of protection from a tall object that has a radius at the ground equal to the height of the object. In other words, if you are within 75 feet of a 100-foot tall tree, the tree is more likely to be struck than you are. Of course, if you are close to the trunk it can be as dangerous as being out in the open. I don't always agree with Cliff, but in this case he is at least partly supported by a technical paper that I have seen about protecting transmission lines from lightning. So if you are caught by an electrical storm along a shore where tall cliffs make it impossible to land, you might be able to get some protection by staying close to the cliffs. I heard about one canoeist who was killed by lightning in the Boundary Waters. He had just stepped ashore onto wet granite when lightning struck a tree next to him. His companion, who was still in the canoe, was unhurt. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon May 04 1998 - 10:47:22 PDT
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