Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

[l008com]

Is it safe to hide under a bridge during a thunderstorm? Assume no risk of tornado activity, just some rain and thunder and lightening. My buddy was saying it was crazy because it would attract the lightening. I thought he was crazy because all that metal would deflect the lightening. In this case, it was a train bridge too so there would be even more metal to disperse all that electricity into the ground. But if you're on a river and get stuck in a storm, are bridges going to protect you from lightening?

 

[JustJason]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

I've been caught in many a tstorm on my moto and have hid out under bridges to many times to count. Cover is cover. Your much better off under a bridge than you are standing in the middle of an open field or hunkering down under a tree.

 

[l008com]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

I've been caught in many a tstorm on my moto and have hid out under bridges to many times to count. Cover is cover. Your much better off under a bridge than you are standing in the middle of an open field or hunkering down under a tree.

Right but are you better off under a bridge, vs not under a bridge? You're in a river so there are trees around that are taller than you. Is the bridge more likely to attract lightening to you? Or is an automatic faraday cage to protect you from lightening?

 

[DianneB]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

With lightning, it is all statistical. The accepted 'rule of thumb' in the lightning protection business is that a grounded metal object will protect everything under it within a 60 degree cone 80% to 90% of the time. The other small percentage of the time, no guarantees - I have seen lightning come in horizontally under a grounded object to strike an object much lower.

Knowing what I know of lightning, I would be under the bridge!

 

[badkins50]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

State of Ohio forbids you from docking or anchoring under any bridge. Don't know about your laws though. I also don't know what they would say/do if there was a storm in process, maybe join you.

 

[nlain]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

Don't know how safe it is but I think it is better than being out on the river and being the hot spot in that cool water and marsh grass, very few trees where I am most of the time, so I park under I95, 5 lanes wide and concrete, drop anchor and shut down.

 

[itsaboattime]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

Having built several bridges, I have to say that I have taken shelter under just about all of them during thunderstorms.

Every one of them were concrete tho.

The accepted rule of thumb is that lightning follows the path of least resistance. If you are under a suspension bridge, logically, lightning would follow the steel cage to ground. My thoughts are that you are safer there than in open water, and that's where you would find me.

I do know that a Crane boom that is hit by lightning has a "danger zone" circle of up to 100 feet around it. The safest place to be in this situation is in the cab because the lightning will channel around it. Of course the operators manual recommends lowering the boom to avoid being struck.

 

[avenger79]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

State of Ohio forbids you from docking or anchoring under any bridge. Don't know about your laws though. I also don't know what they would say/do if there was a storm in process, maybe join you.

probably take a long time to write you a ticket for being under the bridge all the while being under the bridge themselves for protection.

 

[royal0014]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

State of Ohio forbids you from docking or anchoring under any bridge. Don't know about your laws though. I also don't know what they would say/do if there was a storm in process, maybe join you.

That's gotta go in the 'dumb state law' file.

Hide out under the bridge. Chances are better than open water, but, if you are in a river run, watch out for storm surge headed down stream.

 

[badkins50]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

Oh I know I would hide out there, I'm not argueing that at all. Done it before, sure I will do it again.

 

[njrextreme]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

That's gotta go in the 'dumb state law' file.

Hide out under the bridge. Chances are better than open water, but, if you are in a river run, watch out for storm surge headed down stream.

Its because of 911 and terrorist attacks, not a dumb state law at all!

I have had to do the same on the river, take cover under a bridge. As long as you can keep the boat off the supports its better than open water. It can get real choppy under them and you can risk damaging the boat.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

another reason for no anchoring in and around bridges in Fl, is that the run water pipes, and electrical lines beside (under water) the bridges. these are usually marked, but not all of them. they are working at getting them mounted to the underside of bridges.

Key West and all the Keys are supplied by a pipeline from Homestead, Fl.

 

[642mx]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

If I'm at the lake, I'll find a covered slip to "borrow". On the river, I'd get under a bridge if possible, but thats whats nice about having a cuddy to crawl into.... I don't really need any shelter.

 

[hooks1]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

Taking refuge under a bridge is, percentage-wise, safer than not taking refuge at all and the laws that have been enacted by well-meaning but misguided homeland security types often try to prevent one thing by outlawing things loosely connected with it. However, as Tashasdaddy said, other structures and utilities are often around and under bridges and an anchor could damage those. I don't think I would like to have my boat electrically connected to the bridge so idling very slowly near a pier just feels safer.

 

[dwco5051]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

Be careful where under a highway bridge you anchor in a storm. They usually have scuppers to let the water from a storm run off. In a heavy downpour it pours out like a fire hose. Being in the wrong place can quickly put a hundred or so gallons of water into you boat. Don't ask me how I know this

 

[royal0014]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

Hellava way to test your bilge pump!

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Under A Bridge During A Thunderstorm?

Its because of 911 and terrorist attacks, not a dumb state law at all!

I have had to do the same on the river, take cover under a bridge. As long as you can keep the boat off the supports its better than open water. It can get real choppy under them and you can risk damaging the boat.

nope, dumb law... I can drive a loaded van type rental truck ACROSS the bridge, where i'm less than a foot from the surface, but I can't anchor a boat with 100x less cargo capacity some distance from it?


I've ducked under bridges before, not generally for lightning but for hail storms that I've been caught in.