Chicago's Monday night storm packed an astonishing amount of lightning

News Type: Event — Seeded on Thu Aug 7, 2008 1:00 AM EDT

Article Source: Chicago Tribune

odd-news, weather, chicago, lightning-storm, 800-bolts-a-minute

Nearly 90,000 thunderbolts had hit northern Illinois, according to the National Lightning Detection Network. At the storms' peak, it was firing off more than 800 bolts per minute; and that only counts those that hit the ground. "There was no precedent for this," said WGN meteorologist Tom Skilling. "In every way imaginable, that storm last night was in its own league."
Hurricane-like storms rake area The electrical storms raked the city and suburbs, bringing the Cubs game to a halt, sending residents into their basements and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of customers. Remarkably, no injuries from the lightning were reported.

The awesome display originated in the unstable humidity that built up Monday afternoon, filling the area with potential energy, meteorologists said.

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MinnieApolis's Column, All of Newsvine
Groups: Alternative Energy - Greenvine, Birding and Nature
Regions: Chicago

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{"commentId":2387168,"authorDomain":"MinnieApolis"}

MinnieApolis

Alternative energy, anyone? Chicago could have stored up about a year's power needs if they had only had some means of storing the voltage unleashed in that amazing barrage of lightning. But this was just a test run, I'm sure. Whenever there's a job to be done or a problem to be solved, Chicagoans figure out a way to get a job done. Am awaiting news on a solution to our energy problems from the Windy City any time now.

{"commentId":2387168,"threadId":"327267","contentId":"1727195","authorDomain":"MinnieApolis"}

1 vote

#1 - Thu Aug 7, 2008 1:05 AM EDT

{"commentId":2567125,"authorDomain":"wayne-mokane"}

jeff303

Don't trivialize this. Converting static electricity (even a huge amount) to usable current is quite difficult if even possible, and in any case a long way off.

{"commentId":2567125,"threadId":"327267","contentId":"1727195","authorDomain":"wayne-mokane"}

#1.1 - Sun Aug 24, 2008 12:42 PM EDT

{"commentId":2387209,"authorDomain":"bigmomma"}

rottlady

At the storms' peak, it was firing off more than 800 bolts per minute; and that only counts those that hit the ground.

Boy, I wish I had seen that!

{"commentId":2387209,"threadId":"327267","contentId":"1727195","authorDomain":"bigmomma"}

1 vote

#2 - Thu Aug 7, 2008 1:14 AM EDT

{"commentId":2387298,"authorDomain":"MinnieApolis"}

MinnieApolis

Just don't golf during any electrical storm -- the club is a lightning rod...

{"commentId":2387298,"threadId":"327267","contentId":"1727195","authorDomain":"MinnieApolis"}

1 vote

#2.1 - Thu Aug 7, 2008 1:33 AM EDT

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MINNIEAPOLIS

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Chicago's Monday night storm packed an astonishing amount of lightning

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