Chinese Mobile Phones Attracting Lightning Story Strikes Again
from the details-please...? dept
About a year ago, we pointed to a story about people in China being struck by lightning on the Great Wall, where local officials were blaming the fact that they were using mobile phones. However, some quick additional research turned up that similar "hoaxes" had been flooding the internet for some time, and various experts pointed out that there was little in a mobile phone that would make it a target for lightning. In fact, many recommend that you use a mobile phone instead of a regular phone in a thunderstorm, as it's likely to be safer. However, that hasn't stopped the story from showing up again. Textually.org links to yet another story in China about a man at the Great Wall who was struck by lightning -- and again, his mobile phone is blamed. However, once again, the details are quite sketchy. The victim in question is never named. Also, why is it that this only seems to happen at the Great Wall? Isn't a much more likely explanation that standing on top of the Great Wall in a thunderstorm means that you're one of the highest objects around and therefore that much more likely to be struck by lightning in a storm?
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Would you say that I was struck by lightning?
I've been searching for this answer on the net for awhile.
Thanks, Mary
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You might have experienced the "ground current" effect that happens near a strike.
I believe what you experienced just before the actual strike was a phenomenon where the electrical potential between the ground (or the ground connection of the neon sign) and the clouds was building up and doing whatever it does to the air between to 'attract' the actual lightning strike. But fortunately for you there must have been a more favorable path to ground somewhere just next to you (a lamppost or something).
I would think just being that close to a strike would probably send all kinds of semi-dangerous electrical fields through you, but a direct strike would have left you in no doubt that you'd been directly hit.
This page is very informative:
http://www.wildernessutah.com/brain/lightning.html
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Re: No Subject Given
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How to black out your city
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Other things are more dangerous
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fdg
is it normal for lightning to make lights in ur house dim until there is no light and then ligt re-appear suddenly???
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