no1mad 

I'm in 'Tornado Alley', so I've dealt with my fair share of storms. I'll echo use Wx apps like Weatherbug* (which also has their 'Spark' lightning mapper) to keep tabs on the really nasty stuff like hail, straight winds, and twisters.

I'd also suggest knowing your route and have alternate routes if possible. Not only due to traffic concerns- reduced visibility by all parties and the rooster tails they tend to kick up- but know where your low lying trouble spots that are prone to flooding. (We had a real doozy here last year that was so bad the storm drains couldn't keep up and the manhole covers were being blown off- one of the local TV weather guys even went on air and told his reporters to just find a safe place and stay put).

*If you have an Android, I'd suggest checking out a new app called uWx-Weather. It was developed in part by the University of Washington and crowd sources its data and there are no ads.

B. Carfree

The risk of lightning strike while on a bike seems so remote that I discount it to zero. Some of my most memorable and joyous rides were in lightning storms, some in dry summer weather. I remember fondly many morning commutes where I watched the clouds lighting up all the way in to work, about an hour. Fun stuff. I'm also fine with rain regardless of the temperature. It's a matter of wearing clothing that works for you.

Now ice, that's a different matter entirely. I don't have the gear for riding on water that isn't in liquid form, so I don't voluntarily do it. I've had a few rides on ice when the temperature along my route was colder than both my start and finish points. Those were definitely not very fun for me.

Roody

Yeah, lightning is a lot of fun until somebody gets hit by it.

Actually, the daughter of a friend was struck by lightning on two separate occasions. She survived both times, but had some rather disturbng personality changes that they think was a result of the electricity.

wolfchild

It's zero only if somebody doesn't ride or doesn't go outside, if you're outside the risk is always there...Actually lightning strikes are pretty common and several people get struck every year. It happens mostly to golfers, boaters and other people who are doing outdoor activities. Riding a bicycle during a thunderstorm is no safer then holding a golf club and playing golf or canoeing.

Walter S

In order to be injured by lightning the electrical energy in the lightnng bolt will find its easiest path to ground flows through your body. Since a bicycle in motion only contacts the ground with rubber and rubber is a very poor conductor of electricity, I would suspect riding your bicycle in a storm is a bit better than standing in a mudpuddle under a tall tree with a golf club.

FBinNY 

Yes, riding a bicycle is safer against lightening than standing with an elevated golf club. But don't fool yourself into believing that your rubber tires will magically protect you. First of all the distance from your metal rim to the earth is very small and lightning capable of spanning thousands of feet of air gap won't have any problem with that last inch.

Secondly, most of experience lightening together with rain, so the water wetting you, your bike and tire provides plenty of conduit to the ground. If you're riding in an open area with no tall objects nearby, you're the highest thing around and a lightning strike, though unlikely is certainly not impossible.

Use some common sense and if the lightening is striking within 1,000' feet or less (1 second from lightening to thunder) dismount, and look for some protection.

BTW - being struck by lightening is survivable, often with no untoward consequences, but being struck while riding a bicycle is more complicated. The strike may not injure you, but will likely cause you to crash, and the crash may do more harm then the strike.

Walter S

I found this interesting write up. How to Avoid being Struck by Lightning Not sure how accurate it all is. But he says crouch down so if you do get a jolt it's less likely to damage vital organs in its path to the ground.

ironwood

One reason lighning strikes on people are rare is that there are fewer people working outside, or even being outside much of the time. More people are aware of the dangers of lightning so they take steps to take shelter during thunderstorms. I passed a tree shortly after it exploded when hit by lightning. The bark would have injured anyone near it.

Avoid them. They usually pass fairly quickly.

Roody

I once saw four parked cars that were struck by lightning. All 16 rubber tires were completely burned up. Can you imagine how much energy it takes to burn up 16 car tires? Answer: A lot more energy than it would take to burn up two bike tires...and the cyclist sitting on them!

Walter S

Catch the car on fire and the tires burn. You should have seen the guy with the golf club!

Roody

No. The cars were not burned. Just the tires.

Roody

What did you decide? Have you tried riding on the cloudy days yet? How did it go?

Roody

Maybe, if it looks like the lightNing might last for hours. But if you get a ride, what will you do with your bike? Your co-workers might not want you to put a wet bike in the car so you'll have to leave it at work.

Personally, I find that storms usually last only a short time and I can easily wait it out in the break room at work. And then the post-storm calm is a beautiful time to ride.

baldilocks

This whole week they have promised thunderstorms right as I get out of work. I currently have alot going on and have use that as an excuse not to ride. There were mornings I have rode out in the rain. The storm thing is more of a safety / visibility thing. I don't like being wet all day either. Two days ago one of the local reporters was going out to report on the storm and his car was swept down the road. It wasn't that bad until it got taken over a guard rail and flipped into a retention pond. Thankfully he broke the window with his tripod and escaped. In water like that I'de feel safer in my truck. Next week both my kids start back to collage and as a family, we only have two cars. I will have plenty of time to commute then

https://weather.com/news/south-bend/...n-flooded-road

baldilocks

Ok, it didn't flip into the retention pond.

Roody

Well if it's windy enough to send a car flipping down the road, I wouldn't want to be on bike, on foot, in a car or even a truck.

BTW, to solve the problem of wet clothing at work, just take an outfit with you, wrapped in a plastic bag in your backpack or panniers. This also works for sweaty days or if you just don't like to wear the same clothes for riding and working.

JBHoren

I'm retired, so I don't hafta ride (to work, anyway); but I'm also car-free, so if/when I don't ride, groceries don't get bought, library books don't get checked-out/in, yada-yada-yada. I've got two rules: #1 If it's raining, I don't go out; #2 If it starts raining, I don't stop.