Does Carrying an Umbrella Increase Your Chances of Being Struck by Lightning?

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    Lightning Rod
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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around whether carrying an umbrella, particularly due to its metal pole, increases the likelihood of being struck by lightning. Participants explore various aspects of this question, including theoretical implications, anecdotal evidence, and the physics of lightning behavior.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions if the metal pole of an umbrella acts similarly to a lightning rod, potentially increasing risk during storms.
  • Another participant expresses uncertainty about the plausibility of the claim, suggesting that if lightning were to strike the umbrella, it would be dangerous, but questions whether holding the umbrella increases the probability of being struck.
  • A reference is made to Benjamin Franklin's experiments, implying historical context related to lightning and conductors.
  • One participant argues that if the umbrella's tip is higher than surrounding objects and is conducting, it could increase the chance of being struck due to static charge in the area.
  • Several participants recount the incident involving golfer Lee Trevino, discussing the circumstances of his lightning strike and the nature of lightning strikes in general, including the distinction between direct hits and ground strokes.
  • Questions are raised about the physics of lightning attraction to metal objects, particularly regarding electric fields and charge separation.
  • Another participant speculates that the behavior of lightning may be influenced by the presence of tall objects, suggesting that the umbrella's metal tip could facilitate a lightning strike due to charge dynamics.
  • St. Elmo's fire is mentioned as a phenomenon related to lightning, with a note on the ionization of air around objects before a strike.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views, with no consensus reached on whether carrying an umbrella increases the risk of being struck by lightning. The discussion includes both supportive and skeptical perspectives, indicating ongoing debate and uncertainty.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge various assumptions, such as the height of the umbrella, its conductive properties, and grounding conditions, which may influence the likelihood of a lightning strike. The discussion also highlights the complexity of lightning behavior and the challenges in determining the exact mechanisms at play.

Loren Booda
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Does the metal pole of most umbrellas increase significantly the risk of the bearer being struck by lightning? In many ways its construction, as a conductor with a tapered tip used during electrical storms, resembles that of a lightning rod!
 
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Well...

I hope you're not asking one of us to carry out an experiment and get back to you with the results! :surprise:

Sorry for the facetious answer. I honestly don't know. But it seems plausible. Of course, it's safe to say that if lightning were to strike the tip of your umbrella while you were holding it, you'd be toast. But I guess what you were asking was whether holding the umbrella makes this a more probable occurrence. Good question. I'm certainly interested now...
 
Recall that key experiment by Benjamin Franklin...
 
Depends upon how high the tip of the umbrellas is. Assuming that the tip of the umbrellas is higher than other nearby objects (I think it is about a 70 degree angle from the tip), that the umbrellas is conducting, and that you and the umbrella are grounded, then, yes, any "static charge" in the area will pass through you as the easiest path- your chance of being hit by lightning are higher.
 
During a PGA professional golf tournament near Chicago (USA) 1n 1975, Lee Trevino held his putter up, and he was struck by lightning.


"...[He] was nearly killed when he was struck by lightning during a tournament in 1975. The injuries he suffered lingered, but he recovered to win another Vardon Trophy in 1980. The 1984 PGA Championship was his final major and final PGA Tour victory."

http://golf.about.com/od/leetrevino/p/lee_trevino.htm

Bob S
 
Bob S said:
During a PGA professional golf tournament near Chicago (USA) 1n 1975, Lee Trevino held his putter up, and he was struck by lightning.

"...[He] was nearly killed when he was struck by lightning during a tournament in 1975. The injuries he suffered lingered, but he recovered to win another Vardon Trophy in 1980. The 1984 PGA Championship was his final major and final PGA Tour victory."

http://golf.about.com/od/leetrevino/p/lee_trevino.htm

Bob S

I hope you don't mind a golf joke. If Lee had held a one iron up instead of a putter, he would have been safe, because even God can't hit a one iron.
 
Bob S said:
During a PGA professional golf tournament near Chicago (USA) 1n 1975, Lee Trevino held his putter up, and he was struck by lightning.


"...[He] was nearly killed when he was struck by lightning during a tournament in 1975. The injuries he suffered lingered, but he recovered to win another Vardon Trophy in 1980. The 1984 PGA Championship was his final major and final PGA Tour victory."

http://golf.about.com/od/leetrevino/p/lee_trevino.htm

Bob S

Highly dubious. Most people who are "struck by lightning" are actually hit by the ground stroke. That is the lightning bolt hit the ground nearby and he was hit by the expanding semispherical current. A direct hit would have killed him. People are not reliable eye witnesses to where the lightning struck in such a situation, it is too fast, and they are prejudiced by their own beliefs.
 
Why would a metal object attract a lightning bolt , When the lightning bolt is traveling through the air is there a strong E field around it, and does this E field cause charge separation in the metal and then would this attract it to the bolt. This might sound dumb but i want to word it this way , how does the lightning know there are metal objects around .
 
cragar said:
Why would a metal object attract a lightning bolt , When the lightning bolt is traveling through the air is there a strong E field around it, and does this E field cause charge separation in the metal and then would this attract it to the bolt. This might sound dumb but i want to word it this way , how does the lightning know there are metal objects around .

I'm not sure, but I'll take a whack at this.

To my knowledge, a bolt of lightning doesn't descend from the clouds saying "Alright, who's going to get it?" If you think of the system as a giant capacitor, a jump is more likely if the gap is narrowed (taller objects are more likely to be struck) and if a greater charge is able to be separated. Since electrons are free to move in the umbrella's metal tip, the part nearest the sky would adopt an opposite charge, making a jump more likely.

Just some guesses.
 
  • #10
See description and illustration of St. Elmo's fire at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Elmo's_fire

Mountain climbers often note the aroma of ozone just before a lightning strike. This is a signal of air ionization around prominent objects.

Bob S
 

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