The roar of thunder
“I have great respect for the power, and danger, associated with lightning.”
The heat and thunderstorms experienced across the Maritimes last week served as a reminder that, while we has some of the greatest summer weather in the world, we are not immune to receiving violent weather now and then. In New Brunswick, one person lost their life after being struck by lightning. For anglers, and anyone spending time outdoors, thunderstorms, and the accompanying lightning, can be especially dangerous and we need to pay attention to this potential danger.
I have great respect for the power, and danger, associated with lightning. Lightning is caused by the same thing which gives you a shock when you walk across a carpet in your socks and touch a door knob, static electricity. In nature a charge builds up in clouds as the positive protons move up and the negative electrons settle in the bottom of the cloud. When enough negative electrons group together they search out a positive charge. This flow of electricity, up to 100 million volts in some cases, is lightning. Sometimes the lightning jumps from cloud to cloud to create sheet lightning but more often the charge jumps to the ground as a lightning strike.
Environment Canada — which maintains information on lightning strikes in Canada on their website: www.weather.gc.ca — states that up to 10 people are killed by lightning every year and up to 150 are severely injured. In addition, an estimated 4,000 forest fires are started each year by lightning.
The thunder we hear during a lightning storm is the result of the tremendous heat generated. A lightning bolt can heat the air around it up to 30,000 degrees Celsius, hotter than the surface of the sun. When the air expands and then contracts that quickly, sound waves are created which we hear as thunder. Every second between the lightning flash and the thunder represents about 300 metres, so if you count to five between thunder claps, the storm is less than a mile (1.5 kilometres) away. On their website, Environment Canada warns that, if you hear thunder, then you are within striking distance of a lightning strike. They recommend: “If thunder roars-head indoors.”
Anglers and boaters need to be especially cautious during lightning storms. You do not want to be the tallest object in your environment during a thunderstorm so standing in a boat with a fishing rod in your hand is never a good idea. If you are caught out in a storm stay as low as possible in the boat and head to shore. After the lightning storm has passed you should wait thirty minutes before resuming your fishing.
One advantage of a thunderstorm, if it is accompanied by heavy rain, is that it may improve the fishing. An old salmon fly pattern which was created for use when the water was high and dirty after a storm is the Thunder and Lightning. You don’t see it in use much these days but it is always a good idea to have a couple in your fly box.
Thunder and Lightning Tag: Flat gold tinsel
Tail: Yellow hackle fibres Body: Black floss or wool Rib: Oval gold tinsel Throat: Orange and blue hackle Wing: Black squirrel, bear or moose hair