Feb 23, 2009
The National Weather Service (NWS) defines a thunderstorm as severe if one or more of the following conditions exists:
1. Wind gusts of 58 mph or more
2. Hail diameter of 3/4 inch or larger
3. One or more tornadoes
Of the estimated 100,000 thunderstorms that occur each year in the United States, only about 10 percent are classified as severe.
Regardless of whether a thunderstorm is severe, lightning and high winds present a danger in any thunderstorm.
Feb 7, 2009
We’ve heard of flame-grilled burgers, but usually not while the cow is still alive.
A cow in England was struck by lightning and left with blistering burns. Normally it would have been cooked alive and killed. But somehow the cow miraculously survived and is already back roaming the meadows.
Professor of Physical Geography, Jon Nott of James Cook University, said the event was rare but feasible. “Cows are susceptible to lightning strikes because both sets of legs are on the ground,” Nott said. “But, more often than not, they die from it. The electricity from a lightning strike would enter the front set of legs and exit out the back legs so, based on the picture, it is possible it happened.”
Story at Daily Mail
