thunderstorm forecast for tomorrow...
 

There are some thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow... I am a noob and wanted to know what you guys
do when there are thunderstorms forecast... do you ride or drive to work?

Ride and get wet. Always have a plan for a bailout place to wait out a particularly bad squall.

I’ll ride in the rain, but I’m dissuaded by lightning. I would wait it out, or take alternative transportation. Also consider this about cycling in drenching rain:

I ride in the rain. But there have been a few times I've hidden out under an overpass waiting for the lightning to leave the area.

I used to drive, but lately i've just been clipping on my fenders and going for it. In L.A., the traffic get worse when it rains and it can double the driving time. The bike isn't affected by traffic.

I ride in the rain unless it is pouring hard enough to make visibility a problem or there is lightening. Today the forecast in Memphis called for a 100% chance of severe thunderstorms. I drove. At the time I would have been riding home there was a lot of lightening and the tornado sirens were wailing.

I also drove just south of Memphis. The moderate chance for severe weather plus the winds gusting near 40 MPH made me decide to drive. I commute mostly rural roads so my drive time is largely unaffected whether it's raining or not.

Other times if it's just a shower I'll ride. Stuff gets wet, oh well.

Doppler radar is your friend. I find it very useful for seeing "windows" that allow avoiding the heavier rains. I don't mind getting wet, but if I can delay 15-20 minutes to avoid I will do that. I am lucky in that my normal schedule is arriving at work with a good buffer before starting and I can always leave a bit early in threatening conditions.

I ride. More times than not, the weather man is dramatizing and I don't even get wet. Once in a long while I get caught in a storm. It's not the end of the world. And it leads to a good story.

I do try to avoid real cold AND wet. One is OK. A lot of both makes for numbing cold.

Depends on the wind speed and direction. I won't ride into a sustained 45+ mph headwind. That happened once last year. As for lightning, where I'm at, we don't get too bad of lightning storms. I've ridden thru many of them. Praying to Jesus every time to look over me and protect me. That's all I can do. There have been many times where I've jumped about six inches off the seat when a bolt hits nearby. Not fun, but I do it anyway.

Rain is one thing. People get wet and survive quite well. Lightening is another. Bodies don't do well with large amounts of current running through them. Doesn't matter how hard you thump on your chest, you will lose if you get hit by lightening.

+1! The value of a weather forecast is dubious. I never stay home because of the forecast that day! But the value of a current radar map is huge.

On our Comcast Cable TV we have the Weatherscan Channel, 245, with continuous Doppler over the Metropolitan Boston area, so I can see the immediate conditions over my route. Even when the weatherhuman is predicting rain for Boston, NOS, I can determine the immediate and near-future conditions nearly exactly over my route.

My decision is rarely whether to ride or not, but more often which bike and what to wear. If I ride the carbon fiber bike and stay dry, or the beater bike in the rain, I “win.” If I make the wrong choice, I “lose.”

Nice. Heads I win, tails you lose :-)