Commuting - ...It's like thunder, and lightnin...

the first Thudershower of the season! What a commute! I was pretty well soaked by the time I got to work. I of course got all the "You rode in this?" My answer was, "I rode all winter through ice, snow and cold, I'm not going to let a little water slow me down." I had to throw my stuff in a dryer before they were dry enough for the ride home.
I actually thought I would be lucky and the "isolated T-storms" called for in the forecast were passing. But I got caught in a deluge, and kept at it. It stopped by the time I got to work, where the warm water hit the cold lake ice and this fog bank engulfed work, and the roads around work. It was quite the nature show!
Today sunshine.
Commuting in Minnesota gotta love it.

Dude, you sound hardcore, and that's awesome! :thumbup:

Wow, it's 66F/19C out there this afternoon! This is the warmest it's been since the middle of last October! Man, and I forgot to bring shorts... well, at least I've got my lighter tights for the ride home... I'm taken the long way :)

Thunder storms are the best for commuting -- no question about it. I've had some really spectacular light shows across the South Pacific over the years. One stands out - February 2001. Watching the storm roll in across the ocean on one side, a blood-red sunset on the other, and rainbows all around. Bliss!

Thunder storms are the best for commuting -- no question about it. I've had some really spectacular light shows across the South Pacific over the years. One stands out - February 2001. Watching the storm roll in across the ocean on one side, a blood-red sunset on the other, and rainbows all around. Bliss!

It's not just cows that spook me, Thunderstorms are another part of Nature that I try to avoid on the bike. How many million volts are in each one of those arcs of lightning that spread from sky to earth? It is possibly greater than the bovine threat! I'll wait out the storm.

It's not just cows that spook me, Thunderstorms are another part of Nature that I try to avoid on the bike. How many million volts are in each one of those arcs of lightning that spread from sky to earth? It is possibly greater than the bovine threat! I'll wait out the storm.

On the other hand -- what is the actual probability of being struck by the lightning? And what happens if the building you're waiting in gets struck?

On the other hand -- what is the actual probability of being struck by the lightning? And what happens if the building you're waiting in gets struck?

If there are thunderbolts shaking the building, I think that's close enough. They don't have to hit you dirrectly if there is water all over the place. Buildings around here are grounded, so that lighting doesn't affect people inside(computers and phones are another matter).

Thunderstorms are another part of Nature that I try to avoid on the bike. How many million volts are in each one of those arcs of lightning that spread from sky to earth?

Well... the dielectric breakdown of air is 3x10^6 V/m. Now... how high are those clouds? ;)

Well... the dielectric breakdown of air is 3x10^6 V/m. Now... how high are those clouds? ;)

Oh great! Someone who actually knows something about what they post. What's happening to this world?

Yea, we had our first thunderstorm of the season move through on Wednesday with a 70MPH gust front. Ya just gotta love that out flow! Of course, like most storms around here, we didn't even get enough rain to make the ground wet. :(