Do you have "thunderstorm habits?" Things you do during thunderstorms?

[bertha katzenengel]

Things like curling up in bed with a pet or a person or a book, or making a special kind of coffee or drink

Or things like I do:

counting the number of seconds between a lightning strike and the thunderclap

:wonders if anyone will reply at all:

[mainegreen]

1. Used to run out to the car and chase them. n/t

[Omphaloskepsis]

2. I do nothing different...

But, they very rarely ever affect anything like power or personal safety..

edit :: I try to get the cats and dogs inside. They freak out. So I do one thing differently.

[AlienGirl]

3. Watch the lightning and feel pleasantly scared!

[KoKo]

4. "Duck and COVER! ...n/t

[idgiehkt]

5. I have to babysit one of the dogs

He has a very hard time dealing with thunderstorms and during the summer it is very dangerous, he has a special pen he goes into so he cannot run back and forth so much because it puts him dangerously close to overheating...so I have to watch him and hose him down if the thunder storms happen during the day, and make sure he has cold water to drink.

[av8rdave]

6. Enjoying a spectacular one in Atlanta right now

I usually look for the best vantage point to watch it. Unless I'm flying, then I work to avoid it.

[supernova]

7. I turn off certain appliances

like my computers and satellite receivers. I do experience power outages sometimes and I don't want to fry my equipment when the lights come back on. It's never off for more than an hour or hour 1/2 tops.

edit: If the power goes out, I call the power company, light a candle and settle in with a good book. I also enjoy the fireworks. :-)

[qanda]

8. My mother made me deathly afraid of thunderstorms when I was child

Now I unplug all my expensive equipment and I go to the basement. I hate thunderstorms.

[LeftyFingerPop]

9. Stand on my roof naked, while....

holding up a large metal pole, and bellowing out "Singing in the Rain".

[snailly]

10. I stare at the satellite map on weather.com

looking for signs of a tornado. I'm loony like that.

[NMDemDist2]

12. i do that too

we're too close to tornado country for my taste. they are unusual here but the weather has changed a lot in the last couple years :scared:

[snailly]

16. I hear ya

I live in tornado alley and lived through one. I'm absolutely terrified of them.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

21. I check out weatherunderground for radar and storm trajectory.

as long as there's no hook-echo doppler indicated things near me, I make sure I calm down one of the cats- who's usually clinging onto my shoulders by then. Now if there IS one of those scary symbols (diamond or triangle for other weatherunderground geeks) associated with a storm near me... I grab the cats, and then grab on to my DH like the cat was previously doing to me.

I hate t-storms. They make my head unhappy with all the pressure changes (migraines).

[snailly]

24. That's exactly what I'm looking for - the hook echo

If I see that, we (baby, cats and dog) are in the basement. I guess people who aren't in this area don't think about it but it's a real fear.

[SPKrazy]

33. I'll pull up radar on my local station's site because they have pretty good doppler

and i know it is local whereas the NWS is getting their feed from radar here, but received in Tulsa.

I'd rather know what is going on here than wait for the NWS to update their feed or wake up

[Left Is Write]

11. Well, yes, I do.

My favorite thing used to be going to the basement, lighting a fire in the woodstove, and playing darts or listening to music. I can't do that anymore, because we moved out of that house and have no basement now.

Of course, Idaho doesn't have thunderstorms like Minnesota does anyway. But I do like to put on a pot of coffee and bake something.

Where I come from, we used to refer to storms as "weather", as in, "The sky's getting dark. Looks like we're going to have some weather."

[GenDem]

13. I love the build up

I like to catch the very earliest rumbles and perch myself somewhere to watch it move in closer. At night I like watching the night sky light up.

However, last Friday I experienced a very violent storm that caused a great deal of damage. It kind of makes me rethink my fascination a bit.

Check out the damage in my neighborhood.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=6603240&mesg_id=6603240

[stuntcat]

14. we turn the radio or tv off

turn everything off and listen to the wind and stuff.

[El Fuego]

15. We go "Woohoo!!! It's fucking raining!!!"

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

And then we run outside and get struck by cloud to ground lighting.

But it's a good thing.

[DS1]

17. open the windows

[Lex]

18. Flying a kite and discovering electricity.

Oh wait. That was somebody else.

nevermind

[SPKrazy]

32. Don't forget the metal key on the kite

:D

[Blue Diadem]

19. we watch them, if they're not severe we usually sit on the porch

until the lightening comes too close. If they're severe, we still watch but also turn up the scanner since our weather spotters are VFD or LEO's.

There's nothing like watching the storm clouds and lightening strikes across the farm fields.

[RoyGBiv]

20. I wander out in it ...

Usually.

If not, I turn up the volume on the radio or television or just put on some headphones and make sure my UPS is working properly. :-)

I had an actual routine when I was living in a little house -- resist the temptation, Roy, resist ... can't do it -- on the prairie. Had a grain elevator about half a mile from me with a lightning rod on it, which actually was a good thing, but it meant I had *really close* lightning strikes very near me every few minutes or even seconds during the really bad ones. During those, I would usually watch in the direction of the grain tower until it got too intense, then hide in my room with a pillow over my head. Lightning that close is LOUD.

[lost-in-nj]

22. I count the seconds

between the lightening and thunder
I turn off fans, and if it is really bad I turn off TVs...
If the power goes out I go around and turn off the lights, and fans and the coffee pot etc
that were on, I don't need to find out which breakers I blew.....

On the other hand
I had a Grandmother (god rest her soul) that would sit in the middle of the living room with a tissue on her head
praying until the storm passed.....




:crazy: :crazy:


lost

[GoddessOfGuinness]

23. Peel the dog off my legs

He freaks at the sound of thunder.

[SPKrazy]

31. Is your dog a retriever?

Every lab I've ever seen is afraid of thunder, I'm sure they all aren't, but I'm talking bring out the sedatives afraid

:rofl:

:hi:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

44. He's a border collie mix

We were told border collie/sheltie; but I'm not sure about the sheltie part. He's definitely got herding instincts, though.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

25. open a bottle of red wine

meander out onto the patio
turn off all the lights
breathe in the night

[crim son]

26. Oh yes, I am terrified of thunderstorms.

I hide myself in an area of the house where I can't see the lightning, precisely so I cannot count the number of seconds between the flash and the thunder. If a storm wakes me in the middle of the night I GET OUT OF MY WROUGHT IRON BED and sleep on the floor in my foyer. I have visions of being electrocuted in that bed and before you laugh, let me tell you that people get zapped and occasionally die every year here. As for having a special drink, I'd puke!

[SPKrazy]

30. Yes, more people die from lighting strikes than from

other thunderstorm related issues

lightning is very deadly

even when a storm doesn't seem close, the lightning can come out of nowhere miles ahead of the actual storm

[crim son]

34. I'm so glad somebody agrees!

I seem to attract lightning and have had many strikes too close for comfort, even in Oregon where lightning isn't particularly common.

Nice to see you, pawpicker.

[SPKrazy]

41. Well there's lot's of lightning around here

and it always seems it hits golfers on the golf course

the gawdess doesn't like golf? :shrug:

or maybe the metal clubs and the open areas and people waiting until the last minute to clear the field

uhm

nice to see you crim son :D

[Lethe]

27. well usually since my power goes out at the slightest hint of a storm

my usual routine:

1. put down the piece of bread that i was making a PB&J with
2. fumble around in pitch blackness looking for my lighter and candles
3. stub my toe and hit my head as per #2
4. leave house and buy 6 pack
5. see if neighbors are ok and have candles and/or beer
6. open beer and play gameboy until gameboy power runs out
9. feed my betta Tokey and talk to him (he gets scared when the power goes out)
7. head over to neighbors to play candlelight card games
8. pass out and pray when i wake up the power is back on

[rucky]

28. We pull out the sofa bed, pop some corn & watch the show.

Big windows that overlook our field. It's pretty rad.

[SPKrazy]

29. If it is really wild weather i wanna watch

if it is rain and endless echoing thunder and rain, i wanna go to sleep or watch tv

or du

[graywarrior]

35. I have hurricane habits.

Cower, shit my pants, blame Mr. Gray for making me live through yet another "will we or won't we get hit" episode, and then swear to get the fuck out of this fucking state once and for all.

I do this at every hurricane.

[Bjornsdotter]

36. Yes

...I light some candles, our electric goes out often during a storm.

If the pool is not open, I fill buckets with water. We have a well with a pump....an ELECTRIC pump.
No electric, no water, no flushing the toilets. If the pool is open I just run out to get water for the toilets if needed.

Other than that, I love storms so I watch them from the sliding glass doors in my living room. The more lightening the better.

Cheers

[wildhorses]

37. i unplug a lot of stuff. refuse to take a shower and sometimes

i go out and work, stand or play in it...i love the rain.

[Flaxbee]

38. shut down all the computers and unplug them,

see if I can find the two kitties who hang out outside during the day (don't have to do this if they're in for the night).

Make sure the flashlight is where it should be, with batteries.

That's about it. I LOOOOOVE thunderstorms. Love 'em. They were so rare in SoCal, but here in western NC they happen pretty frequently in the spring and summer (though there has been a terrible dearth of them this year) and I really enjoy watching them.

[Kali]

39. disconnect the computer

start jumping up and down yelling YESSSSSS!!! get all bummed out if there is no rain with the show.

[ElizabethDC]

40. I just heard thunder like 30 seconds before I saw this thread

I get sooo excited with I hear thunder, I think because it reminds me of home (I'm from Florida - we're all about the thunderstorms. Tampa is - or at least was - the lightening capital of the world!)

Since it sounds like a storm is headed my way in a few minutes, I think I'll curl up in bed with a book, which is definitely my favorite thing to do during a thunderstorm.

[KitchenWitch]

42. I used to.

Now I live where there are no thunderstorms.

I would count the time between the lightening and the thunder.

I would also get out my battery operated weather radio, and hunker down in the basement.

[Evoman]

43. I'm stupid.

I usually run outside and get rained on if its really raining and then I start whooping. I get really excited when there is a big storm heading my way. Some day I'll probably get killed. I'm not stupid enough to wear a watch or metal, but I'm pretty fucking dumb anyways. Then I usually run inside, and watch the sights and smell the smells. I'm never happier then when there is a storm.

I'm usually not too scared of damage or anything because....well...I really don't own anything that I care if it gets damaged (other than my clothes and computer, I supoose).

[datasuspect]

52. get away from windows and electrical shit

[MissMillie]

45. if the storm comes after a few days of really oppressive heat

then I go outside and sit in the rain (well, that is, if I'm at home).

other than that, I have no routine.

[LanternWaste]

46. If it's a really strong one...

If it's a really strong one, I like to stand on the balcony of my apartment, smoke a cigarette (I'm down from a pack a day to four cigarettes a day-- just had to do a little shameless self promotion), and allow myself get completely absorbed by it.

North Texas thunderstorms can get wildly violent and light the sky in the most bizarre ways. Very cool stuff...

[Mad_Dem_X]

47. I do absolutly nothing.

I sit down in the dark with the tv off. I don't even answer the telephone (LAN line or cell). I also open a window at opposite ends of the house!!!

From: Ms_Dem_Meanor :hi:

[texas1928]

48. I go outside and watch them.

I used to be a storm chaser. I love thunderstorms.

[Zuiderelle]

49. I'm sorry that no one replied to your thread.

:D


(I count the seconds too.)

[B3Nut]

50. Go to where I can watch and take it in.

I hate rain unless there's a good soundtrack and light show. :D Da louder da better! Especially the really close CG bolts.....<blink>BANG! I was camping once and a storm came up...it's absolutely amazing hearing the thunder echo across the sky in stereo. And the really loud close bolt was extra loud...lovely! I just laid there and listened to it...such deadly beauty...nothing like being out and vulnerable to the raw power of nature to realize one's place in the universe. :)

Awesome stuff! :D

If it's at night, Mrs. Nut and I cuddle and enjoy the storm...we both love 'em. :)

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

[liontamer]

51. I used to.

I always unplugged appliances and stayed out of the shower. I don't think lightning strikes are a problem where I live now, though.

[tjwmason]

53. Open the windows wide and play Beethoven - at a loud volume

It's about the only time I play it - the 5th and 9th Symphonies and 5th Piano concerto being favourites...but I'm interested to see what the Missa Solemnis is like.

[Deep13]

54. I climb on the roof with an iron rod.

It is a family tradition.

[tanglefoot]

55. I'm a storm watcher

I love watching them come in - the cloud formations, the lightning, the slanting rain.

Unfortunately, I live in the middle of nowhere so I can't trust the weather service to give me accurate weather bulletins. They don't seem to care that dangerous weather is in my area as much as they care about it in the more populous neighboring county. That means I'm usually in front of radar once the storm gets near if there is any history of dangerous weather involved.