Lightning Strike Kills More Than 300 Reindeer in Norway

Re:Lightning Strike Kills More Than 300 Reindeer in Norway by Loic on Tuesday August 30, 2016 @02:51AM (#12388017)

I can remember a similar event in the Alps in France. What was interesting (it was with cows) is that only the cows showing or turning their back to the lightning strike were killed.

It was because of the potential difference between the front and back legs (you have more than 1m), the ground resistance was higher than the wet cow and the current just went through the cow. When the cows were not facing (or back) the strike, the ground resistance was lower, the current did not went through the cows.

So, if you are wet, in the mountains and lightning strikes are firing, make small steps :)

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Re:Lightning Strike Kills More Than 300 Reindeer in Norway by saiya-jin on Tuesday August 30, 2016 @04:36AM (#12388365)

this is a basic advice on any electrical course I had to go through. if things get really hairy, you should only jump around with both feet together, and have arms close to the body (not so easy somewhere on the wilderness)

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Re:Lightning Strike Kills More Than 300 Reindeer in Norway by madengr on Tuesday August 30, 2016 @08:39AM (#12389431)

Actually you hop on one foot, that way the current path does not go fully across your heart.

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Re:Lightning Strike Kills More Than 300 Reindeer in Norway by jhayward on Tuesday August 30, 2016 @10:57AM (#12390708)

Not quite. It is the voltage potential caused by having your feet on two different pieces of ground, which have a voltage gradient between them, that causes the current to flow. If you keep your feet together you are less likely to be harmed.

The farther apart your feet are the greater the voltage between them. This is called "step potential" in electrician and lineman safety training.

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Re:Lightning Strike Kills More Than 300 Reindeer in Norway by madengr on Tuesday August 30, 2016 @06:50PM (#12394591)

Yes, but if are hopping on one foot, you have no opportunity to complete the circuit with both feet.

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Re:Lightning Strike Kills More Than 300 Reindeer in Norway by triplesec on Thursday September 08, 2016 @03:39PM (#12456556)

but if your feet are touching it's the same thing, because you've shorted the circuit. Also, any chance of arcing to the ungrounded leg?

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Re:Lightning Strike Kills More Than 300 Reindeer in Norway by crististm on Tuesday August 30, 2016 @07:08AM (#12388960)

Where do you get this idea?

When lighting is kilometers long, half a meter more is not a lot to cover.

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Re:Lightning Strike Kills More Than 300 Reindeer in Norway by mhb on Tuesday August 30, 2016 @09:43AM (#12389991)

Step potential: http://www.esgroundingsolutions.com/what-is-step-and-touch-p...

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Re:Lightning Strike Kills More Than 300 Reindeer in Norway by sharpercoder on Tuesday August 30, 2016 @05:39AM (#12388555)

Given the chance to outrun lightning, running with only zero or one feet on the ground would also prevent strikes.

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Re:Lightning Strike Kills More Than 300 Reindeer in Norway by B1FF_PSUVM on Tuesday August 30, 2016 @05:54PM (#12394256)

That was curiously both creepy and enlightening (so to speak ;-).

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