Thunderstorm and lightning (very, very frightening)

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This afternoon we had the most tremendous thunderstorm, lighting up a pitchblack sky. Of course like a fool I went outside to watch, but my eyebrows remain unsinged.

Not everyone is as keen, so thunder and lightning classic or dud? And anyone have any near misses?

― Billy Dods, Sunday, 26 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

best one was when a church got hit across the road from the bookstore i was in. Whole steeple came a crashing down. Funny thing was the priest was convicted of fiddling with kiddies the week before.

― Queen Zepplin G, Sunday, 26 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I love thunder and lightning. No near misses, or I might change my opinion. I always like the sounds on records too. Best use: a drum & bass track by Kinetix called The Stalking Moon. Oh, and there's a hip hop number called The Piper by (?) Cheba - anyone know this track? It's a sort of Pied Piper riff, and very strong. Further info (and confirmation of the artiste name) welcomed.

― Martin Skidmore, Sunday, 26 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My mom's house was struck by lightning a few years ago. It killed all 3 computers (including mine, which didn't fit into my teensy apartment at the time) and the VCR. Now we all use surge protectors!

― petite verte, Sunday, 26 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

CRAAAKKK! BOUM! yeay. Keep it rolling! Living in the UK, with its maritime climate and thunderstorms-lite, I generally regard it as a holiday treat to witness a deafening Draculaesque demonstration of God's considerable disapproval [am I mixing metaphors with a 'd' shaped spoon here?] from the interior of, say, a rickety alpine chalet.

― Gordon, Sunday, 26 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

haha when i was at school aged 11, we were out in the garden collecting worms for biology — you pour formaldehyde on the ground and they wriggle up to the surface all itchy — and a big thunderstorm started and the teacher made us shelter UNDER A TREE!! Another teacher saw us out of the window and poked his head out and, TOTALLY ENRAGED, yelled derision and abuse at the biology teacher, as well as an urgent warning for us all to run quickly inside the building. We learned several useful new words and phrases!! It was the best biology lesson EVAH!!

― mark s, Sunday, 26 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Thunder and lightning stills happens to be one of the few phobias I have (besides heights)... I think it all started from a rather traumatic experience as a kid.

― Brian MacDonald, Sunday, 26 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mmm, classic, on a warm summer afternoon, especially when the sun blazes out afterwards. Our dogs always got really spooked and hid under the bed.

Martin Skidmore -- I am sure you will know: What is that thunderstorm song on Shades of Deep Purple ? I like that.

― felicity, Sunday, 26 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mark, yr poor biology teacher was probably only demonstrating Darwin's theory of evolution.

― Billy Dods, Sunday, 26 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If I didn't live in tornado central, I would enjoy it immensely.

― Melissa W, Sunday, 26 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Where is tornado central? I looove storms to the extent of clapping and jumping and getting quite randy.

― notjess, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

you could do worse mel!

― Josh, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

arhargghhhar, har. I know I am not alone with this brain hardwiring rain = sex

― jeska, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Thunderstorms are fantastic, esp. running about in them and getting soaked through, or, more classic, kissing in the rain.

― Anna, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sorry, Felicity, I have to confess to not being very strong on Deep Purple. (Actually, I'm not in the slightest bit sorry generally or I wouldn't have avoided them so much, but I am sorry I can't help here.)

― Martin Skidmore, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Skidmore musical knowledge finite Shock! Thanks anyway. ;)

― felicity, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No near misses, but just before I hit my teen years I had a phobia of thunderstorms so extreme that a party cloudy sky in the dead of winter would make me fidgety. I don't want to bore you with the details but it all had something to with abandonment issues and my parents divorcing and all. I snapped out of it after a year and a half.

― Michael Daddino, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I love it, it's a great thrill to hear and feel that sort of chaos unfolding...call it a touch of the sublime in the 18th century sense.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

but what about my poodle you bastard!

― hugh walpole, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one year passes...

i like being indoors watching or listening to thunder and lightning. it's strangely relaxing. i'm doing it right now, and i have a great view out of this big University Library window.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 10:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Angela doesn't agree: she'd like to go out down the shops for some food, but it's been thundering since 10 last night.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 10:47 (twenty-two years ago)

It's nice when you're in a dark room and the flash lights it up for a split second. there were some cool storms when i was over in venice over the summer.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 11:00 (twenty-two years ago)

jesus yeah,the thunder this morning was unreal

― robin (robin), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 11:53 (twenty-two years ago)

And we've just got it here. My washing is outside and has been for days, but I am too ill to venture into the garden in sopping rain and collect soaking clothes.

― Anna (Anna), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 12:48 (twenty-two years ago)

six months pass...

"ah stevem, welcome back to Britain - just for you we've arranged some chubascos tormentos so you can feel better about the crap but not stormy weather stateside during your visit"

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 14:24 (twenty-two years ago)

that was PROPER thunder just then actually, like BANG not rrrummmmble - it had the oddest effect on me, usually i furrow my brow nervously (a reflex maintained from childhood) but this time i just laughed

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 14:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Bloody hell, I came here searching for a Thunder thread coz there was just a huge clap of scary thunder outside...you aint in Glasgow are you Stevem?!!

― smee (smee), Thursday, 6 May 2004 12:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Ok, I take it back - it's Thursday and the scary thunder has made me forget what day it is!!!

― smee (smee), Thursday, 6 May 2004 12:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Scary thunder in glasgow. the rain is ridiculous and i'm wearing a moleskin jacket. humph.

― Robbie Lumsden (Wallace Stevens HQ), Thursday, 6 May 2004 12:58 (twenty-two years ago)

a thunderstorm, in the daytime, is a swizz.

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 6 May 2004 13:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Hah you Glaswegians - you have our Sassenach London weather from yesterday!

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Thursday, 6 May 2004 13:03 (twenty-two years ago)

as suspected, we're london's sloppy seconds.

― Robbie Lumsden (Wallace Stevens HQ), Thursday, 6 May 2004 13:04 (twenty-two years ago)

i heart lightning. i miss it.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Thursday, 6 May 2004 13:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I saw the most incredible thunderstorms in WA. I used to have all the wheat farmers buring their heads and praying it wouldn't be their farm that got hit.

― Nellie (nellskies), Thursday, 6 May 2004 13:12 (twenty-two years ago)

There was so much hail it looked like it had snowed!

― Madchen (Madchen), Thursday, 6 May 2004 13:16 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

some amazing photos of storms in Dorset here

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Those are fucking awesome.

― Raston Warrior Robot (alix), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:28 (twenty-one years ago)

there was a huge thunderstorm around here recently, it knocked out my internet for two days!

― ra's al latebloomer: not a dolphin lover, honest (latebloomer), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:33 (twenty-one years ago)

i want a camera like that.

― monsanto and yanni (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Manual controls set for long exposure times and a bit of luck.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:35 (twenty-one years ago)

london's supposed to be getting some storms this afternoon. still sunny here, but Knowing My Luck it'll start immediately i leave the office. it will be disappointing if it does, because thunderstorms look so much better at night.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm hopinh we get a good storm here, I love them, they very rarely happen around here though.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:46 (twenty-one years ago)

No clouds here yet, but the wind's picking up.

― Anna (Anna), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:56 (twenty-one years ago)

My girlfriend's house was struck at about 5am. No one was hurt, but it blew the main fuse and totally fucked a stereo, a camcorder, a TV, the phone, the Sky and a couple of other things.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Friday, 24 June 2005 13:30 (twenty-one years ago)

There had better be no storms tomorrow.

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 24 June 2005 13:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I hate nearby thunderstorms -- I'm always scared I'm going to get my livelihood (computer) blown up.

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Friday, 24 June 2005 13:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I love thunderstorms. I just wish I had somewhere decent to watch from. Back in Oxon we (my family) would all troop outside as soon as a storm started to go and stand on the river bridge to watch the storm over Otmoor. Lovely stuff. With my luck today it will start as soon as I step off the bus. It is darkening in Kentish Town.

― Raston Warrior Robot (alix), Friday, 24 June 2005 13:46 (twenty-one years ago)

if i had a pound for everytime i've had to buy a new modem due to lightning strikes, I'd have 3 quid.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Friday, 24 June 2005 13:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Rain in Surbiton, apparently.

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 24 June 2005 13:51 (twenty-one years ago)

It is very dark and still in EC1 so I'm predicting POUNDING rain.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 24 June 2005 13:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 72 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

It's all a promotional tie-in for the new Steve Carrell movie.

― Oilyrags, Wednesday, 4 July 2007 19:11 (eighteen years ago)

Glub glub glub hasn't rained yet here but cloudy all day with that kind of wind that promises to be carrying new weather with it.

― Laurel, Wednesday, 4 July 2007 19:14 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

It's happening again!

― the pinefox, Monday, 7 July 2008 16:22 (seventeen years ago)

BOTHALLCHORACTORSCHUMMINAROUNDGANSUMUMINARUMDRUMSTRUMTRUMINAHUMPTADUMPWAUL TOPOOFOOLOODERAMAUNSURNUP!

― ledge, Monday, 7 July 2008 16:24 (seventeen years ago)

lol my friend wants me to go all the way across london to play football with him and mates this evening

― Just got offed, Monday, 7 July 2008 16:25 (seventeen years ago)

eight months pass...

weirdest weather right now!

― tehresa, Friday, 3 April 2009 17:42 (seventeen years ago)

four weeks pass...

short-lived, but fun for a minute back there

― loaded forbear (gabbneb), Friday, 1 May 2009 20:47 (seventeen years ago)

i was abt to go out for a run looked outside and was all is it raining then like 10 seconds later water everywhere

― p?nico (ice cr?m), Friday, 1 May 2009 20:50 (seventeen years ago)

yeah, we had like one flash and a really loud boom and pouring rain but it's settled now.

― tehresa, Friday, 1 May 2009 20:50 (seventeen years ago)

me too, xp, cept i just looked out the window

― loaded forbear (gabbneb), Friday, 1 May 2009 20:53 (seventeen years ago)

imna go running now :)

― p?nico (ice cr?m), Friday, 1 May 2009 20:57 (seventeen years ago)

i am gonna get one in 10 min, with hail

― erudite e-scholar (harbl), Friday, 1 May 2009 21:16 (seventeen years ago)

tornado siren. hmmmm.

― erudite e-scholar (harbl), Friday, 1 May 2009 22:25 (seventeen years ago)

one month passes...

Christ on a bike.

(Woke up about twenty minutes back thanks to a *MASSIVE* blast that had to have been near overhead that sounded like a garbage truck exploding in a dumpster. Further blasts and rain followed.)

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 3 June 2009 09:33 (seventeen years ago)

Austin's been getting rumbly thunder and cloud-to-cloud lightning all night... fantastic.

― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Wednesday, 3 June 2009 09:39 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah I was driving over the Congress bridge about 11ish to get to graveyard shift and I looked west and saw the coolest yellow cloud-to-cloud stuff. If I hadn't been running late I would have stopped to take a photo.

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Wednesday, 3 June 2009 09:41 (seventeen years ago)

had crazy cloud-to-cloud lightning last night, very unusual for Oregon.

― sleeve, Wednesday, 3 June 2009 14:57 (seventeen years ago)

I was running late at Town Lake when I saw most of it! Was worried I wouldn't make back to my car before a deluge, but it never did actually rain on me.

― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Wednesday, 3 June 2009 15:30 (seventeen years ago)

one month passes...

IT IS THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW!!

― James Mitchell, Thursday, 16 July 2009 22:34 (sixteen years ago)

nine months pass...

holy fuck this thunder is loud

― vike me down (dyao), Thursday, 6 May 2010 23:04 (sixteen years ago)

but can you FEEL it?

― hope this helps (Granny Dainger), Thursday, 6 May 2010 23:48 (sixteen years ago)

one year passes...

it's really thundering and raining here. i'm away from my house, but i left my box fan running in the window. i'm assuming it's getting wet. is this really dangerous or is the worst that's likely to happen is i ruin my fan? should i run home and turn it off even if it's inconvenient?

― by another name (amateurist), Thursday, 9 June 2011 01:14 (fifteen years ago)

might short and cause your fuse to trip?

― british sb power (dayo), Thursday, 9 June 2011 01:17 (fifteen years ago)

hmmm. maybe. i guess that itself wouldn't be the end of the world. i just don't want it to cause a fire or something... obv.

― by another name (amateurist), Thursday, 9 June 2011 01:19 (fifteen years ago)

seems like the worst possible outcome is 'electrical fire'

― british sb power (dayo), Thursday, 9 June 2011 01:22 (fifteen years ago)

but it's raining so that should put out the fire

― british sb power (dayo), Thursday, 9 June 2011 01:22 (fifteen years ago)

seems like the worst possible outcome is 'electrical fire'

― british sb power (dayo), Wednesday, June 8, 2011 8:22 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

aieeeeee

― by another name (amateurist), Thursday, 9 June 2011 01:23 (fifteen years ago)

maybe i'll go home.

― by another name (amateurist), Thursday, 9 June 2011 01:23 (fifteen years ago)

nine years pass...

A new world record lightning has been recorded! A World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has established two new world records for the longest reported distance and the longest reported duration for a single lightning flash. The longest lightning flash duration is now set at more than 16 seconds in Argentina, while the longest distance is set at more than 700 km (nearly 450 miles) in Brasil!

just trying to imagine what a 450 mile lightening flash that isn't on one of the gas giants, but here on this rock, looks like. jeez!

― calzino, Monday, 29 June 2020 22:51 (five years ago)

comma comma comma chameleon!

― calzino, Monday, 29 June 2020 22:53 (five years ago)

That's terrifying.

― peace, man, Tuesday, 30 June 2020 12:43 (five years ago)

three years pass...

Feeling half dead today after being kept awake last night by what seemed to be endless thunderstorms.

― I've left the box of soup near your shoes (Tom D.), Thursday, 2 May 2024 10:36 (two years ago)

I didn't hear a thing!

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Thursday, 2 May 2024 10:41 (two years ago)

This is my favourite website - https://www.lightningmaps.org/

― Maresn3st, Thursday, 2 May 2024 10:50 (two years ago)

This was last night in SE England:

https://imgur.com/gG5M0jJ

― Michael Jones, Thursday, 2 May 2024 11:39 (two years ago)

This is why I never use imgur

http://imgur.com/gG5M0jJ

― Michael Jones, Thursday, 2 May 2024 11:40 (two years ago)

Ok, you just have to imagine it, while I crawl back to the mid-'00s and Flickr BBCodes

― Michael Jones, Thursday, 2 May 2024 11:41 (two years ago)

Yeah slept through last night's. Looked at the radar map and seems a bit unusual for the storms to drift from south-east to north west as they seem to be.

― nashwan, Thursday, 2 May 2024 11:49 (two years ago)

This is my favourite website - https://www.lightningmaps.org/

Thunder connoisseurs prefer Blitzortung

― Dan Worsley, Thursday, 2 May 2024 12:55 (two years ago)

two years pass...

Crazy thunderstorm last night, woke me up at 3am or something. Lasted a good hour...

― xyzzzz__, Tuesday, 23 June 2026 08:50 (yesterday)

A solitary thunderstorm cell erupting out of nowhere today over southern England. pic.twitter.com/unkQltQgGw
— Backpirch Weather (@BackpirchCrew) June 22, 2026

kind of jealous, it looked like a pretty cool storm

― calzino, Tuesday, 23 June 2026 08:55 (yesterday)

It felt nice and cool for a bit this morning.

― xyzzzz__, Tuesday, 23 June 2026 08:57 (yesterday)

It looked pretty intense, but nothing compared to the vid my brother sent me on whatsapp of an absolutely fucking mental storm in Dubai.

― calzino, Tuesday, 23 June 2026 09:03 (yesterday)

(xp) It did but it's warming up rapidly!

― stanes on the knees and blood on the jumber (Tom D.), Tuesday, 23 June 2026 09:04 (yesterday)

Think the storms might mean it's a couple of degrees less than forecast later fwiw (not a lot, v muggy outside).

― nashwan, Tuesday, 23 June 2026 09:11 (yesterday)

last night was p wild - i woke up as the thunder was so loud, as loud as i've ever heard probably. lightning was properly strobing too.

― LocalGarda, Tuesday, 23 June 2026 09:16 (yesterday)

My heart did skip a beat at one of them.

Wonder if it was a month's worth of rain in that hour.

― xyzzzz__, Tuesday, 23 June 2026 09:24 (yesterday)

yeah actually the noise of the rain was absolutely crazy, prob the loudest and fastest downpour i've heard.

― LocalGarda, Tuesday, 23 June 2026 09:37 (yesterday)

It was crazy, but living here means you can’t even really enjoy the rain to cool off cos it just means humidity. The cats were complaining about the storm once they realised we were awake lol, but has been quiet up to that point

― hat stays on (gyac), Tuesday, 23 June 2026 10:37 (yesterday)

Biblical thunderstrom, it was amazing show. Terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure.

So the predicted temperatures have gone down in the forecast for the next 3 days. I guess we can thank the storm for that, reducing atmospheric pressure. Genuinely happy about this lol

― glumdalclitch, Tuesday, 23 June 2026 12:13 (yesterday)

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