I’m thinking about ground currents. They travel close to the surface and I would want every little bit of insulation I could have between me and the ground. Being in a car is better of course because you are also surrounded by a bit of a Faraday cage that might even help if the car itself is struck and certainly some insulation from the ground.

Otto

Well if lightning actually strikes you, you are toast. Frame and tires, notwithstanding. As I mentioned, the other thing to watch out for is ground currents from nearby strikes and some insulation is better than none. On foot, make sure to stand and not lie flat.

Otto

Flew into Sacramento on Saturday in light rain. While getting off the train from Terminal B the skies absolutely opened up in an amazing downpour (remember where I am from and the rain I have experienced) that resonated through the main terminal building. It was absolutely epic. And then it stopped and the sun came out. Taking an Uber about 15 mins later, bam another soaker. My wife said it was like the thunder and lightening storms she experienced working in Chicago. I would hate to get caught in one of those on a bike.

I received a, ummm, "stern talking to" from my wife when I got caught in a thunderstorm. The storm had maybe 2% of the lightning that yours did (and most of it seemed to be cloud to cloud), and little to no wind, though I was pedaling through several inches of standing water at points during my ride home.

It was a lot of fun, but it was a little dangerous, mainly because the reduced visibility increased the risk of being hit by a car. I guess I won't be doing that again. At least, not when/where my wife can find out about it.

You touched on another part of my reason for taking shelter. I was almost at the point where I had to drop off the dedicated path and into traffic. It's bad enough dealing with drivers in ideal environmental conditions.

Never heard of anyone in a car being injured in by lightning.

Me either. It should be safe from the lightning. Most likely injuries would be from disabling of the vehicle while in motion.

Otto

Welcome to springtime in Northern California, and the sneaky weather. I once got snowed on by one of those cloudbursts, on what was otherwise a partly cloudy day with mild temperatures.

Here's a typical culprit from today, with mostly clear skies and a few small but nasty clouds just south of the Oregon-California border. The Oregon weather says "nasty, stay indoors", but the California side says, "not so bad, go for a ride, sucker":

one May about 10 years ago, I went over Mt Tam and it was snowing! Everywhere else it was sunny and nice. Unreal