Lightning Detector? Frequent thunderstorms, and knowing when it's safe to swim.

[bigorangesky]

I'm trying to come up with a reliable way to keep my family safe when swimming. Do you recommend any lightning detector or app/subscription that will give accurate information on storms in the area?

Normally it's easy enough to say "there's a storm, don't go swimming" ... but in the middle of summer there is hardly a day without a thunderstorm. We currently have thunderstorms passthrough all day long, making it difficult to know when it is safe or not. Obviously we will get out of the pool when we hear thunder, but there has got to be a better solution out there. The standard safety advice seems to be the 30-30 rule ... "flash to bang" 30 seconds or less (i.e. lightning strike was 6 miles or closer) and then wait 30 minutes with no lightning.

I tried looking at the weather radar, but its not always accurate since storms pop up so quickly. I'm also not sure how much to trust the data here showing lightning strikes "in my area".

There are some devices that claim to detect lightning at various distances -- can these be trusted? I know commercial pools (and maybe places likes sports fields) have some device that does this.

What does everyone do to keep safe from lightning, and still enjoy your pool?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

For us it’s just listen & look - if you see grey skies, hear the rumble of thunder or see any flashes anywhere, it’s “get out of the pool”. Kids get bummed by it but they are trained to just get out and go inside and do something else. Now that’s easy for us because our weather here is fairly predictable, we rarely get sudden storms and the weather reports are pretty reliable. It’s always late afternoon when the storms will roll in if they do at all.

I’ve never seen any of the devices you mention in action so I really can’t say for sure…. And I don’t think I’d trust the lives of my family to any device …

 

[nwardoh]

There's an app called "my radar" the provides all sorts of alerts including lightning. I have used it for probably 10 years just as a weather app and its quite accurate.

 

[markayash]

There are a few app’s that show
Lightning and will alert you. Not sure how accurate the apps are but know the weather folks can detect it fairly quick.
House burned near us a couple years back and an inspector told a neighbor they verified there was a strike with the weather service.

I can relate, we are on the SC coast and these storms can come fast. Been a few days where there is sunny skies above us and dark gray sky’s close by.

 

[Lake Placid]

Thorguard is the gold standard used on golf courses/country clubs. For people that didn’t have access to this system (everyone) we used to recommend Talos Lightning Systems.

TALOS Lightning Detection Solutions for Home and Business

Thunder can be heard from 10 miles away, but lightning can strike from 25 miles away. TALOS lightning detector detects lightning up to 25 miles. Audible & visual alerts to incoming and outgoing storms. Stay safe and protected while outdoors.

shoptalos.com

 

[ajw22]

I'm trying to come up with a reliable way to keep my family safe when swimming. Do you recommend any lightning detector or app/subscription that will give accurate information on storms in the area?

There are apps used by pilots and boaters that have the best radar and lightning data you can get.

There is no substitute for your eye and ears. You can also usually see signs of storms around as the wind suddenly picks up.

I am a pilot and use an aviation app to watch storms around. Often a cell looks like it is taking direct aim to me and then either dissipates before it gets to me or passes around me. But I have many years of experience interperting weather radar from the ground and the cockpit.

I tried looking at the weather radar, but its not always accurate since storms pop up so quickly. I'm also not sure how much to trust the data here showing lightning strikes "in my area".

There is a 4 to 6 minute delay between when a radar site scans the sky and when the results are sent out. The delay can be as much as 10 minutes before it appears on an app.

Weather Radar: Reducing the Delay >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News: Providing sailing news for sailors

Did you know that Doppler Weather Radar images from the National Weather Service (NWS) are not live? Scanning the atmosphere takes time and typically

www.sailingscuttlebutt.com

The best is to bypass the middlemen and monitor your local radar site from the National Weather Service...

National Weather Service

There are some devices that claim to detect lightning at various distances -- can these be trusted? I know commercial pools (and maybe places likes sports fields) have some device that does this.

Sferic lightning detectors are very accurate in telling you that there is a storm around. However they only alert after the first lightning bolt hits and if that hits you then it was of no use.

The lightning symbols on radar maps use ground based sferics detection and are very accurate in azimuth but not accurate in distance. So only rely on it tell tell you there is a storm in a certain direction and not how far away it really is.

As I said in the beginning there is no substitute for your eye and ears. You can also usually see signs of storms around as the wind suddenly picks up.

 

[bertschb]

What does everyone do to keep safe from lightning, and still enjoy your pool?

I'm a weather geek and have an Acurite Atlas weather station with the lightning detector. The lightning detector for this weather station is a $32 option. It doesn't identify the location of the strikes but it shows the total number of strikes (and strikes by hour), how far away the closest strike was in miles and the time of the last strike.

What surprises me is how far away it can detect strikes. When we have a lighting storm come through and we hear a bit of thunder and see a few strikes, the lightening detector may show 150 strikes. The majority of those are further away than we can hear or see.

 

[Orion7319]

The instructions say to never lick it… that’s important…. Don’t lick it…. Bad idea especially when it’s detecting ice…

 

[markayash]

One of my childhood memories was going to lock the gate on our pool as a storm rolled in. Heard a boom just as I had let go and saw a spark between the polls and put it this way Flash from incredibles would have told me to slow down I ran so fast!

 

[ajw22]

, how far away the closest strike was in miles ....

Take those distances as a gross guess. The distance is calculated based on the strength of the lightning signal.

A strong bolt will read closer then it really is.

A weaker bolt, that can still injure you, will read father away then it really is.

In your area there is often cloud to cloud lightning that never hits the ground that lightning detectors pickup.

 

[Orion7319]

One of my childhood memories was going to lock the gate on our pool as a storm rolled in. Heard a boom just as I had let go and saw a spark between the polls and put it this way Flash from incredibles would have told me to slow down I ran so fast!

I was sitting on my porch once at my old house during a thunderstorm. About 20ft away the large post oak took a lighting strike. The bark exploded from the tree in a line straight down. The thunder clap was deafening. Took out my router and a coupe of directv boxes.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

@ajw22 - what do you think ... too close for a detector??

 

[bertschb]

Take those distances as a gross guess

Oh, I take all the lightning detector data with a huge grain of salt. It's just another doo-dad for me to fiddle with. No way I'd use it for anything my life depended on. But, it's still fun to look at the lightning detection data!

 

[Mdragger88]

The instructions say to never lick it… that’s important…. Don’t lick it…. Bad idea especially when it’s detecting ice…

Very similar to the weather rope

 

[markayash]

I was sitting on my porch once at my old house during a thunderstorm. About 20ft away the large post oak took a lighting strike. The bark exploded from the tree in a line straight down. The thunder clap was deafening. Took out my router and a coupe of directv boxes.

Our electrician folks here might chime in my I asked a guy how a lightning strike down the road takes out electronics and he said his theory is it runs along the ground and like a transformer induces voltage into it only power but cable and other wiring?

It hit a tree few years back and blew one guys att phone box off the side of the house!

 

[ajw22]

@ajw22 - what do you think ... too close for a detector??

I find most interesting the EMP damage shutting down the deputies car following the truck that got hit.

That reminds me to buy an old car with mechanical points for the low probability Doomsday event.

The look of those clouds would have had me on alert.

 

[ajw22]

Our electrician folks here might chime in my I asked a guy how a lightning strike down the road takes out electronics and he said his theory is it runs along the ground and like a transformer induces voltage into it only power but cable and other wiring?

It hit a tree few years back and blew one guys att phone box off the side of the house!

Lightning induced EMP.

 

[Orion7319]

I find most interesting the EMP damage shutting down the deputies car following the truck that got hit.

That reminds me to buy an old car with mechanical points for the low probability Doomsday event.

The look of those clouds would have had me on alert.

Well yeah, I mean only the older cars work in any movie about an alien invasion…

 

[Orion7319]

Our electrician folks here might chime in my I asked a guy how a lightning strike down the road takes out electronics and he said his theory is it runs along the ground and like a transformer induces voltage into it only power but cable and other wiring?

It hit a tree few years back and blew one guys att phone box off the side of the house!

Yeah it took out devices hooked into anything via coax. Which makes sense because all my electronics were on surge protectors (except the microwave and stove which survived)

 

[Orion7319]

Very similar to the weather rope
View attachment 435630

Yeah but you can lick that one… weather rock (at least according to that video I posted) you absolutely can not lick…