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Golfers and Drivers
Fri Jun 24, 2005
Listen in RealAudio 
Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton for The Weather Notebook. There is a common misperception, that lightning strikes golfers because of their metal clubs. But there often a much better target around: trees. Lightning expert Ron Holle explains:
RON: Either golfers will go stay under a tree to stay dry or they'll go into some sort of a structure on the golf course. So it's relatively rare for someone who's actually in the middle of a game. A shelter on a golf course, picnic shelters, none of them are safe unless you see a really big lightning protection device around it. You never see those. The only safe place to be is inside a substantial building on the golf course or in a metal top vehicle - not the golf cart.
BRYAN: We say that cars are relatively safe places to be because they make a Faraday Cage, but is lightning so powerful that it can actually arc through the car as well?
RON: It generally doesn't arc within the car. Put everyone in vehicles if there's no substantial building. If you're not in contact with anything metal, like the dashboard or the windows or anything like that, the sills around it, you'll be OK. That doesn't say it'll be a nice event. It's loud and the car may be really messed up but you'll be alive.
BRYAN: And a lot of people think they're safe because the quote-unquote rubber tires - which I guess are actually plastic: how thick would the tires have to be in order to insulate someone from a lightning strike?
RON: I have no idea how thick it would be, but 1/4" or 1/2" of rubber is ludicrously too small.
Ron Holle is presently a consultant for VAISALA. The Weather Notebook is supported by Subaru, and The National Science Foundation.
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