Where is the best hiking in Colorado?

[80skeys]

According to the lightning experts, the following is true:

Greater risk of being struck by lightning:
- standing in an exposed area
- standing next to a solitary tree or other prominant object in an exposed area

Less risk of being struck by lightning:
- crouching under a tree in an area with lots of trees of the same height
- lying in a ditch in an otherwise exposed area
- crouching on top of insulating material

No risk of being hurt by lightning:
- in a car
- in an airplane
(these are hollow conducting shells)

Now, the hollow conducting shell thing is a fact. There's no disputing it. But as for the other things, I personally don't know whether I believe it. It seems to me that people who have been struck by lightning were about equally in any of those situations. I'm saying this without having reviewed any of the studies so I don't know how accurate my statement is.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Fortunately for me,my bear was not agressive...apparently just curious about the funny smell.

Was there food, gum, shampoo or deodorant in the tent with you?

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

According to the lightning experts, the following is true:

Greater risk of being struck by lightning:
- standing in an exposed area
- standing next to a solitary tree or other prominant object in an exposed area

Less risk of being struck by lightning:
- crouching under a tree in an area with lots of trees of the same height
- lying in a ditch in an otherwise exposed area
- crouching on top of insulating material

No risk of being hurt by lightning:
- in a car
- in an airplane
(these are hollow conducting shells)

Now, the hollow conducting shell thing is a fact. There's no disputing it. But as for the other things, I personally don't know whether I believe it. It seems to me that people who have been struck by lightning were about equally in any of those situations. I'm saying this without having reviewed any of the studies so I don't know how accurate my statement is.

Some caveats from this amateur but fairly knowledgeable climatologist:

First, less risk does not mean no risk. For example, years back in the mountains of northern New Mexico (a very lightning prone place), I personally watched a lightning strike blow a corkbark fir tree to pieces not 100 feet from where I was standing. It and I were both in dense grove of trees not on a ridgetop. Both the tree and I were shorter than the trees around us. I'm still here--that tree isn't. But if I had been standing under THAT tree at that moment, well, I wouldn't be here typing now, would I? Point is, lightning is not totally predictable. You are at some risk of being struck anywhere when you are outside during a thunderstorm.

Second, as to the automobile: Yes, you are quite safe in an automobile in a thunderstorm IF it is not a convertible (doesn't matter if the top is up or down--no metal roof, no protection) and you have the windows rolled up. A metal car conducts the lightning around the outside of it. If you have your arm hanging out the open window, you still could get exposed to the current. Bad idea #2--talking on your cell phone that is plugged in to the vehicle's cigarette lighter socket during a thunderstorm. A lady I knew got a very nasty shock from exactly that (and some permanent hearing loss, to boot) when the vehicle she was riding in (her husband was driving) was struck by lightning. In that case, the lightning struck the vehicle's radio antenna was conducted throughout the car's electrical system (which fried, by the way).

[Mike from back east]

I've read that most lightning comes from the EDGE of a storm cell, not the center of the cell. The edge of a thunderstorm cell is where the air is really mixing it up and moving around. The moving, rubbing and colliding air molecules generate huge amounts of static electricity. IIRC, it's the difference in temp or humidity in the two air masses that caused the static. When it builds up to a certain level, it discharges as cloud-to-ground lightning.

It does not have to be raining on you to hit you with lightning. That's why when you can see the cloud coming your way, it's the edges that are most deadly. Now that I'm here in COLO, I can see for many miles to the north, south and west and easily observe that most lightning strikes come from the edge of the storm cell. When I see one heading my way, I get inside asap.

If you are out in the open, and the hair on your arms suddenly starts to stand on end, get down on the ground or indoors asap, as a lightning strike is imminent within seconds. Generally, in urban areas with lots of buildings, power lines, light poles, etc, the strike will find these before finding you, but if out in the open, I'd hit the deck asap when the static electricity in the air makes the hair on your arms stand up.