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Colo. State Installs Lightning-Prediction System

Posted by timothy on from the hydrogen-blimp-would-be-more-entertaining dept.

s-orbital writes "According to Colorado State's Rocky Mountain Collegian, CSU has installed four ThorGuard Lightning Prediction systems for under $25,000 to help prevent a lightning-related death or injury on campus. Colorado has the third highest lightning death rate in the US, and this system provides up to 20 minutes of early warning by 'analyzing the electrostatic field within a two-mile radius of the device. When a set amount of lightning-producing electrostatic buildup is detected, a horn will sound and a yellow strobe light will begin flashing, signaling that people in the area should seek shelter because lightning is imminent.'"

12 of 47 comments (clear)

  1. Hmmmmm by Sevn · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I've seen lighting reach out 75 miles to touch a C130.

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    For every annoying gentoo user, are three even more annoying anti-gentoo crybabies. Take Yosh from #Gimp for example.
    1. Re:Hmmmmm by WarPresident · · Score: 2, Funny

      I've seen lighting reach out 75 miles to touch a C130.

      I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
      Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.
      I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate.
      All those moments will be lost in time
      Like tears in rain.

      -Apologies to Philip K. Dick

      --
      Here come da fudge!
  2. Thanks Mozilla by QuiK_ChaoS · · Score: 4, Funny

    In all the years I have been using tabbed browsing...

    As I click the link http://thorguard.com/ from above, I scared the crap out of me, and half of the IT department. I love tabbed browsing, Thanks Mozilla...

  3. Day late, dollar short. by applemasker · · Score: 3, Interesting

    An excellent idea, but too late for these 30 kids who were injured by a "bolt from the blue" at football practice yesterday. And here I thought it was just an interesting figure of speech. In this case at least, literalism really hurts.

    --
    Bush Lies On the Record.
  4. Future News by Nyhm · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... shortly after deployment of the $25,000 system, it started flashing and was destroyed by lightning.

  5. Re:More Deaths? by hawkbug · · Score: 4, Informative

    Obviously is because we're higher up in Colorado, not to mention that the climate here is very condusive for lightning. It's very dry and on a daily basis for the most part we get afternoon showers that move in from the mountains to the eastern slope.

  6. "In other news.... by nusratt · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...entrepreneurs are rushing to sell to nearby colleges, a design for a rear-weighted hat which keeps the wearer's eyes pointed toward the sky."

    Sheesh, gimme a break -- people can't use common sense to tell when lightning is likely?

  7. Professional Golf Tourments... by north.coaster · · Score: 2, Informative

    ... have used a system like this for several years. With that in mind, I'm not sure why CSU's installation is newsworthy. /Don

  8. What? by I_Love_Pocky! · · Score: 2, Funny

    This is all heresy! Systems like this interfere with God's plan. If he can't even get away with a good old fashioned smiting, what has he left?

  9. Well, Mr. Ivory Tower... by jellisky · · Score: 2, Informative

    As an atmospheric science graduate student at CSU (for the last 4+ years), I will tell you that common sense around here (while occasionally in short supply) would tell you that you should stay inside from noon to midnight pretty much every day during the summer. Guess I won't be seeing you out and about if you ever move out here.

    Why? Colorado's front range lights up with thunderstorms pretty much every day during the summer. The lightning from these, though, typically stays in-cloud, but the bolts that do reach the ground may end up travelling tens of miles from the main storm. And storms that don't even have any evidence of rain hitting the ground may be just as dangerous as those with rain, so simple visible watching may not tell you any thing.

    As a storm chaser, I can attest to this first hand. I was watching a beautiful storm in front of me one time. There were a few storms behind me developing at the time, but nothing severe. You can imagine how close I was to pissing my pants when a bolt from the blue... from the storms BEHIND ME... hit no more than a mile behind me.

    For some reason, even the most innocent-looking storm out here can drop a bolt from the blue. I don't know what it is about the atmospheric conditions out here that lets this happen, but it does. (Not a lightning expert here... tropical weather for me.)

    This system could be useful, but all in all, I think it's probably not a good investment. College students are the worst people in the world when it comes to following safety procedures. But, I applaud the interesting use of technology here, even if it probably won't be useful. But, if it saves one life, hell, $25K for a life could be worth it.

    -Jellisky

  10. As a CSU alumnus... by Chagatai · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I can say that this is actually quite a handy thing for the school to have deployed on campus, with all of the thunderstorms that pop up in the late summer and fall. I remember one day back in 1996 when I was walking near the library on a semi-cloudy day when a bolt of lightning hit something on campus out of the blue. It had such a loud thunderclap, too, that caused me to hit the ground. The reverberation was awesome, too, bouncing off of some of the foothills. There are still people today who remember this anomaly and where they were because it was so odd. One of these devices could have been handy in that situation.

    --
    --Chag
  11. Robert A. Heinlein.once said it by infonography · · Score: 2, Informative

    would make a great weapon but the trick was aiming it.

    Go Look it up, that's your test for today.

    --
    Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23