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Worldwide Lightning News stories


Jane Louise

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Posted
  • Location: Cheltenham,Glos
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms :D
  • Location: Cheltenham,Glos

A 16-year-old girl survived being struck by lightning and won lottery the following day.

BreAnna Helsel was at her family's Blanchard home was watching thunderstorms on June 6. Rain was entering through an open kitchen window and just as she was about to close the window, she got hit by lightning.

Helsel described the sensation she felt as if her foot fell asleep. She said she saw electricity shoot out of her fingers and into the overhead lights, causing the power to knock out.

The teenager was brought to the Spectrum Health Kelsey Hospital in Lakeview after complaining of a tingling sensation in her arm. The only injuries she received were darkened fingertips on the right hand and damaged muscles that would need therapy.

Hospital employees believed that Helsel was really lucky and suggested that she play the lottery. Her mother Linda Johnson bought the ticket for her the next day and they won $20

http://www.wayodd.com/girl-wins-lottery-da...ghtning/v/9275/

A man who survived after being hit by lightening said he will save the shirt he was wearing that day for it was "lucky" for him. Although he is suffering from headaches and chest pain, he said he was glad to be a survivor.

Jason Ward was working in a New Rochelle masonry yard on Friday. He had one hand touching a truck and the other holding a pole when the lightning hit, throwing him seven feet away.

Ward was burned on his hands, chest and forehead. His T-Shirt was blackened.

Ward said he was "rolling like I was on fire."

He said he won't be throwing away the scorched T-shirt he was wearing for it was his "lucky shirt," and is going to have it framed.

http://www.wayodd.com/survivor-saves-lucky...ing-hit/v/3550/

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  • 5 months later...
Posted
  • Location: Cheltenham,Glos
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms :D
  • Location: Cheltenham,Glos

Severe Storms Batter North Georgia

ATLANTA -- Severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes hurled large hail, heavy rain and swirling winds across north Georgia.

The National Weather Service reported that tornadoes touched down in several spots just before sundown Wednesday. Officials have reported no major damage.

Black clouds broken by horrific lightning flashes rolled from the west, dumping hailstones the size of golf balls and even larger in some cases.

http://www.11alive.com/rss/rss_story.aspx?storyid=127143

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  • 1 month later...
Posted
  • Location: Cheltenham,Glos
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms :D
  • Location: Cheltenham,Glos

Largest Attempt in History to Understand Tornadoes Slated to Begin

April 7, 2009

An ambitious project to explore the origin, structure and evolution of tornadoes will take place from May 10-June 13, 2009, across the central United States.

The project, VORTEX2 (V2), is the largest attempt in history to study tornadoes, and will involve more than 50 scientists and 40 research vehicles, including 10 mobile radars.

Verification Of Rotation in Tornadoes EXperiment 2 (VORTEX2) is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and involves scientists from NOAA, 10 universities and three non-profit organizations.

Researchers will sample the super-cell thunderstorms that often form over more than 900 miles of the central Great Plains.

Areas of focus include southern South Dakota, western Iowa, eastern Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, the Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma.

"An important finding from the original VORTEX experiment was that tornadoes happen on smaller time and space scales than scientists had thought," said Stephan Nelson, NSF program director for physical and dynamic meteorology.

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn...govDel=USNSF_51

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  • 7 months later...
Posted
  • Location: Cheltenham,Glos
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms :D
  • Location: Cheltenham,Glos

Certainly wouldn't mind living there lol:D Let's all book a holiday.:angry:

Silent Lightning Storms Seen Over Town 160 Days Each Year

A tiny and desperately poor fishing village has one fascinating draw for tourists -- lightning storms light up the sky more than 160 nights each year.Dubbed the Catatumbo Lightning, the weather phenomenon has no known cause. Scientists theorize that it could be caused by wind blowing off the Andes mountains or high levels of methane gas in the area.A meteorologist with the Venezuelan National Air Force said the frequency of the storms isn't the only oddity."The Catatumbo Lightning is over 90 percent cloud-to-cloud lightning," said meteorologist Ramon Velasquez.He said the storms can last all night."

Elsewhere in the world, the duration of the storms is not more than one or two hours, however in Catatumbo, the storm begins at approximately 7 or 8 in the evening and goes on until 4 or 5 in the morning of the next day," said Velasquez.There is a bit of tourism, but locals in the town of Congo Mirador said they hope the weather can help bring needed money. Nereida Noguera, head of Tourism for Congo Mirador, said the government hasn't done enough to entice tourists.He said tourism money could help the residents escape dire poverty."The lightning can be our treasure, that can lift us," said Noguera.

http://www.wsoctv.com/weather/21781575/detail.html

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  • 8 months later...
Posted
  • Location: Cheltenham,Glos
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms :D
  • Location: Cheltenham,Glos

Huge Hailstone Falls in South Dakota, Sets New Record

A massive hail stone nearly the size of a volleyball fell in a small South Dakota town this summer, setting the new record for the largest hailstone ever recorded.

The record setting hailstone was discovered in Vivian, measuring 8.0 inches in diameter, 18.625 inches in circumference, and weighing in at an amazing 1.9375 pounds.

This massive hail fell in the town of Vivian, South Daktoa on July 23, 2010. The hail measured over 8 inches in diameter and weighed nearly 2 pounds. Image Source: National Weather Service.

This massive hail fell in the town of Vivian, South Daktoa on July 23, 2010. The hail measured over 8 inches in diameter and weighed nearly 2 pounds. Image Source: National Weather Service.

During a particularly violent thunderstorm on July 23, 2010, all of the town’s 55 homes were damaged, and one mobile home received 25 holes in its roof. Vivian, a town of about 110 people, is located 50 miles west of Chamberlain along Interstate 90 in central South Dakota.

The resident who located this stone in his yard quickly placed the hail in his freezer. However, due to the severity of the storm, the electricity service was lost and the freezer was not powered for over 5 hours following the storm. The resident who preserved the stone stated he felt it was closer to 10 to 11″ in diameter (rather than the later-measured 8 inches) at the time if fell.

This massive hail fell in the town of Vivian, South Daktoa on July 23, 2010. The hail measured over 8 inches in diameter and weighed nearly 2 pounds. Image Source: National Weather Service.

This massive hail fell in the town of Vivian, South Daktoa on July 23, 2010. The hail measured over 8 inches in diameter and weighed nearly 2 pounds. Image Source: National Weather Service.

This hail stone shattered the previous record for size. The former record was a hail stone that measured 7″ in diameter and weighed closer to 1.6 pounds. That stone fell in Aurora, Nebraska on June 22, 2003. Prior to the Aurora, NE hailstone, the world record hailstone was from Coffeyville, Kansas.

The dynamics of a thunderstorm that is capable of producing such massive hail cannot be understated. Hail forms as the updraft of a thunderstorm carries water droplets and ice crystals high in the sky. The moisture is carried so high in the atmosphere that it freezes at high altitudes. It eventually begins to fall and as it does so, it collects more moisture as it falls through the cloud. This increases its size by giving it a coating of water. If the hail stone gets caught up in the uprdraft again, it can make another trip up in the cloud, adding another layer of moisture which again freezes at high altitudes. As this pattern continues, the hail stone becomes heavier, increasing the liklihood that the stone will fall from the cloud. But if the updraft is strong enough, the stone may remain in the cloud for many, many cycles. Initial estimates, based on the size of the stone, indicate that the updraft strength in the Vivian hail storm likely ranged from 160 to 180 miles per hour.

In the days following the storm, the hail stone was sent to the National Center for Atmospheric Research lab in Colorado for full documentation. They certified the stone as the largest fully-documented hail stone in terms of weight (1.94 pounds) and diameter (8.0 inches). Plans were made to construct a casting (mold) of the hail stone so that replicas could be displayed at the Historical Museum in Lyman County, South Dakota and at the Aberdeen, South Dakota National Weather Service Office.

Whether or not this is truly the largest hail stone to ever drop in the United States is a question that will remain unanswered. What we do know is that it is at least the largest documented stone. Chances are a larger stone likely fell sometime in some location in the US but went undetected.

http://www.meteorologynews.com/2010/08/31/huge-hailstone-falls-in-south-dakota-sets-new-record/

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