Thursday, June 4, 2009

Thunderbolts and Lightning

Last night TH and I were captivated by an incredible electrical storm. Lightning flashed nearly continuously for about an hour, sometimes accompanied by thunder. The sky was clouded over and huge raindrops fell intermittently. It was a dark and stormy night. These types of summer storms are relatively uncommon for northern CA. We usually get some rain in June, but not the flashy stuff we got last night.




(Free photo thanks to bigphoto.com; ours didn't turn out this well)


For some science about how lightning works, see this site. And if you enjoy mythology and cultural stories, you may recall that the thunderbolt is a symbol of power which is present in many world myths. It is symbolic of a loss of ignorance and/or of destruction, or retribution. It is still used today, especially in military symbols or pictures. And in language, both French and Italian use a phrase for "love at first sight" that translates directly in English to lightning strike.
No matter how you look at it, lightning is pretty awe-inspiring.

2 comments:

Nicole said...

I was petrified last night - I hate waking up in the middle of the night to thunder and lightning! I've never been a fan of storms.

Jennifer said...

I've never been frightened of storms, that I can remember. Maybe my parents know? At any rate, I can understand why so many people are. The sheer intensity, the charged air, the unpredictability..pretty amazing.