[castnblast]

Folks, I mad a very, very, stupid mistake this weekend that almost cost me my life. There was a thunderstorm several miles away from me when I was bowhunting this weekend. I heard the thunder in the distance, and began thinking, if that gets any closer, I'll go to the truck. Well, Not long after that, POW! Lightning struck a tree 49 yds from my stand. It could have just as easily been mine. The problem here is I know better. I'm on the skywarn storm spotter network here in S. Tx, a licensed pilot, and have several college hours of meteorology. The thrill of the hunt kept me in the stand, when in the back of my mind I knew I should get down. Lightning can strike miles away from the actual storm. When I did get back to my truck I called National Weather Service to find out where the storm was heading. It was stationary, and it NEVER RAINED A DROP where I was at. They had actually issued a severe thunderstorm warning for that cell, so my spotter mode turned on and once I got to a clearing, I could tell the storm had some rotation in it. Nothing ever came of it, (rotation) but I could have easily been killed by that lightning strike. Bottom line, learn from my mistake, and don't make the same for yourself. Here's a couple of Thunderstorm facts:

1. Lighting can strike as far as 10-15 miles from the actual storm.
2. Hail can be cast as far as 20 miles (rare but happens) from a very severe storm.
3. Tree lines can skew your view and hide storms.
4. Severe thunderstorms can move at speeds up to 70 mph, and be on top of you quicker than you have time to reach safe shelter.

This was an isolated storm, and the percipitation forecast was only 20%. Pay attention, and cary a hand held NOAA weather radio if you are going to be in backwoods. Or, program the local National Weather Service phone number into your cell so you can call and get updates. Their meteorologist will be glad to talk to you and let you know what is going on.