Thunderstorms. What do you do..

[nuggetino]

So there's a week of thunderstorms forecast here in WA and I must say I've been caught up in my fair share in the last 6 months. Just wondering what you guys do when the lightening comes in. Camp out bush and wait it out or head in to town until it blows over. Personally, I'll be sitting out here and counting the strikes at my van while they pass on over. Only downside is having a poptop. Fiberglass makes a right mess of your cars ability to act as a faraday shield.
http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/vehicle_strike.html
Anyone got any good stories of being caught out in a thunderstorm? This is the place to post it. Hell, make it bad weather in general. Love to hear it. Cheers

 

[stoyve]

In about 1987 I was having a surf with some friends at a place next to Bells Beach Victoria, it was very very still and the temp was around 36c.
From the west I could see some pretty menacing clouds rapidly forming till it looked like a wall of night time was about to come upon us. :/
Most of the guys got out of the water but myself and two mates decided to ride out the storm as it were.
What a STUPID choice we made. :|
All of a sudden lightning was striking the water around us and the hail storm from hell came upon us all at once.
After about five or so minutes the stormed passed over us to terrify a paddock full of cows, and we were left with sore heads from the initial burst of hail and bleeding knuckles and dented surf boards from treading water while shielding our heads from further pain.
Oh the folly of youth. :8
Never again.
Cheers Steve

 

[Narrawa]

Been caught in a few storms while out bush. For me, as soon as i hear thunder i grab for the camera...
If im round the truck, i open the rear wing doors of the canopy(steal pole holds the doors up and is grounding the whole vehicle) and stand under while snapping off lightning shots.

I called this shot....Constipation Ramification. But was taken in suburbia....not out bush.


As a kid id be under the bed at the first sign of thunder, and this came about after enduring a storm for which i have not seen the violence of since. Witnessing the roofs from houses across the street lifting off like a kite, and hail stones the size of tennis balls and the sheer destruction caused this little boy to piddle his pants whenever seeing dark clouds forming. Ok so im a little older now and i dont piddle my pants anymore, well not from storms anyhow.
I now put myself as close as i can to the action.....and sometimes admittedly, too close.

The Nullabour late 2014.


Over the last two seasons in the WA bush far from towns, we have endured a few good storms, nothing worthy of picture taking but none the less, pretty hair raising knowing we are far from any kind of help should things go south. As strange as it may sound, id prefer to be out bush when they hit. There's less debris flying about and the only power lines are the ones coming from my generator. :lol:

Wilson's Patch/Garden Well area 2013.


Good topic. Next line of discussion should be....how do you anchor your van to the ground to stop it taking off in the wind?.. :lol:

 

[kawman]

Face the car directly into the wind.. vans will blow away in a good breeze... I used to set up vans for onsite living.. we used turn buckles and very long stakes to chain them down.... When the storms hit the vans on the leading side got very little damage, but the further into the park they were the damage got worse because of the bits of rubbish being launched that did all the damage to the vans behind....

 

[Wintersnake]

This time of year in WA I'd get my fire fighting gear ready.

 

[Eddi-D]

Just hide under the bed with the kids....

 

[Heatho]

Whenever there would be lightning at my parents place you'd end up with a 100kg Great Dane jumping on your lap wimpering, shivering and looking to be comforted through the storm. The older they got the worse they would get.

 

[TheFossickingKid]

We got a storm at my relatives place a couple weeks ago and I was just recording it at the door and saw this one.

 

[yobskin]

Picture a 32foot fishing boat 320nm out at sea now picture a wall of black cloud as far as the eye can see a storm front conjoured by Zeus himself.....rain came like a wall of water changing angles as the storm progessed. The eary calm as the front passes over the top of us cold dark...flash..flash...no bang just rubbles .....for the next 7 hours our boat became the only conductor in 320 nm....sitting inside the wheel house noticing our hairs flickering and sticking up as each bolt was absorbed by the mast....back on land 1 week later serviced engines notice some bolts on deck near mast were welded all batteries needed replacing blew a bank of 8....

 

[Tathradj]

Had a few close shaves myself and they were bloody close.
Would have hated to be in the road of this one,