Lightning Storm

[fishinwrench]

People start telling lightning stories and I just gotta feed off into it....

#1 I was at the Superbowl of Motocross in Fulton co. Georgia back in the late '80's, we were watching the race from the parking lot when a bolt of lightning came from straight up and hit one of the racers in mid air....he never even knew it and kept right on riding. 10 seconds later while everyone was still screaming and freaking out about it, ANOTHER bolt hit the bleachers on the west side from a 45 degree angle, several people got taken to the hospital and we later heard that one of them died. The thing that really blew me away was that the race kept right on going while the ambulances were pouring in and people were scrambling around trying to get out and screaming for help. It also never rained a drop that night and nobody in our group ever heard any thunder. It was crazy.

#2 I was running from a bad storm on Lake O in the Fall of '94 trying to get back to Shawnee bend access before it hit, I had a 19ft. Champion/200 Merc lit up and screamin' as I rounded the twin islands at the 8MM when a bolt that was bigger around than my boat was long, shot from the ground up about 100 yards to the starboard. I'm not sure if the heat I felt on my ears was from the lightning or from a sudden rush of adrenaline, but it was close enough and big enough that I'm pretty sure I almost got burned. I blew right through the No-Wakes at SB still turning 6000rpm......I remember thinking "Fine, give me a ticket...just let me off this lake NOW" !

Lighning is Scary business, sure enough......but Don't even get me started on Tornado's

[S&M]

Post deleted for the betterment of the members.

As well as my membership on this website.

[rangerman]

My dad is an individual who knows ALOT about lightening. He was cultivating a bean field when a bolt of lightening came straight down and popped the tractor. Wasn't hurt that time. He was darn near hit on a dozer when there really wasn't any weather around. And he did get hit standing in the kitchen during a thunderstorm. That one freaked him out as it knocked him on his butt.

A trooper friend and I had just finished up working an vehicle accident last year, and were just sitting in our cars talking. We have in car computers we use for running wants and warrants. The storm was really starting to roll in, and I said my farewells and left him so he could complete his paperwork. I pulled away and got about 100 or so yards away when I looked in my rearview and saw a blinding flash of light close to where we were sitting. It didn't hit his car, but it was with 80 or so yards and it fried ever electrical device in the car as well as the car electronics itself. Scared me to death but it really got to him.

[skeeter]

I had one like this two years ago myself. Clear morning with a few black clouds up north, rain was coming but thought we have a little while until it hit. I had a group out of the Chat on the Lake, we had 4 persons with one cute little girl with really long hair down past her rear end. She was up front with me fishing when I looked over and her hair was stand straight up! I grabbed her and pulled her down on the deck with myself. Just then Lighting hit about 100 yards away from us on the bank, so close we felt the after shock! Time to go now! So I don't mess with this stuff...

Good Fishing Guys

Don

Don,

Since you run the 1197SI and are certainly the recognized expert on the unit and log countless hours on the water with clients I wondered if you had tried the available weather option for the 1197SI that imports local weather data from XM satellite-Radio ?

From what I have read in the Humminbird manual, it gives the boater access, on the water, to radar and lightning strike data and the distance to the nearest lightning strike. Would be most interested in reading your thoughts, opinion and experience on this option.

Thanks.