Lightning and Extreme Weather Educational Library - Main Index

Editor/Photographer

This section of the site is a "notes file" I've built from studies and experience through the years. I hope you will find these articles informative and fun to read!

Lightning Library

	Weather Myths Busting myths about lightning, tornadoes, storms and more!

	Lightning Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Answering the most commonly asked questions about lightning. One of this site's most popular and longest-running sections.

	Lightning Myths Common and widespread myths and misconceptions about lightning. Another longtime, most-visited section of this site.

	How Lightning Works A detailed, step-by-step description of a cloud-to-ground lightning discharge.

	Lightning Safety A brief lightning safety primer.

	Lightning Types A list of the various descriptive names given to types of lightning.

	Lightning Protection Systems What protection systems do and don't do.

	What happens when lightning strikes a house? Lightning's impact to houses that are hit directly.

	Do surge protectors provide total lightning protection? Discussing myths about surge protectors, UPS devices and lightning protection for sensitive electronics.

	Lightning Strikes to Chicago's Skyscrapers Frequently asked questions, photos and videos on lightning strikes to Chicago's tallest buildings.

	How often is the Gateway Arch struck by lightning? Answering a frequently-asked question about lightning strikes to St. Louis' famous landmark.

	Lightning Discharges to TV Towers, Skyscrapers and other Tall Structures An in-depth look at ground-to-cloud or 'upward moving' lightning discharges to tall structures, including dramatic up-close imagery.

	Lightning and Video Ghosting Artifacts: Not as Close as It Seems A closer look at a commonly misidentified artifact that appears on video footage of lightning strikes.

	Catatumbo lightning in Venezuela: Overview and Myths A closer look at the newest subject in many TV documentaries about lightning.

	Lightning and Trees The effects of lightning strikes to trees.

	Thunder Basics All about the loud noise produced by lightning. Includes a calculator for using thunder to find the distance to a strike.

	Flashovers and Strikes to Power Lines A commonly seen, but frequently misidentified phenomenon observed when lightning strikes an energized power line.

	Lightning and Ipods, Walkmans and headphones Will wearing an Ipod and headphones attract lightning?

	Artificial and natural lightning: Practical comparisons Examining the differences between small man-made sparks and natural lightning.

	Lightning Vocabulary A quick run-down of lightning terminology.

	Lightning Strike Survivors An overview of the effects experienced by victims of lightning strikes.

	Sferics: Lightning Radio Waves Lightning strikes produce a full range of radio waves.

	Static Electricity: Miniature Lightning Creating electrostatic discharges indoors.

	Ball Lightning Myths Overview of the many phenomena mistaken for ball lightning.

	Lightning in the Bible A list of the instances lightning is mentioned in Scripture.

	Recommended Reading A short list of lightning-related publications on Amazon.com.

Dan's Severe Weather and Earth Science Library

	Storm Chasing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Answering the most commonly asked questions about storm chasing and debunking the myths and misconceptions.

	Power arcs caused by storm events The 'real story' behind the flashes mistakenly called 'exploding transformers'.

	Lightning Photography Tutorial Everything you need to know to get started capturing lightning photographs.

	San Andreas Fault Tour A photographic tour of the southern segment of the San Adreas Fault that is expected to produce a large earthquake in the near future.

	The best times and places to see tornadoes, using storm chasing stats What are the best times and places to see tornadoes? Answering that question with storm chasing stats.

	St. Louis Tornadoes & Severe Storms: Facts, History & Frequently Asked Questions All about tornadoes and severe weather in the St. Louis region, including historical events.

	West Virginia Severe Weather FAQ A discussion about myths and questions about severe weather in the Appalachian region.

	Thunderstorms triggered by industrial exhaust Discussion and observations of convection triggered by industrial and power plant exhaust plumes.

	850mb charts and atmospheric layers Introduction to using 850mb charts to forecast snow (and a primer on atmospheric layers).

	Introduction to Flash Flood Waves A primer on flash flood waves.

	Upslope Snow in the Appalachians: The Basics A primer on upslope snow in West Virginia and the surrounding Appalachian mountains.

	Weather Monitoring Tools A collection of frequently-used links for real-time forecasting and severe weather tracking.

Storm chaser and photographer Dan Robinson

About the Author: Dan Robinson has been a storm chaser, photographer and cameraman for 30 years. His career has involved traveling around the country covering the most extreme weather on the planet including tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning, floods and winter storms. Dan has been extensively published in newspapers, magazines, web articles and more, and has both supplied footage for and appeared in numerous television productions and newscasts. He has also been involved in the research community, providing material for published scientific journal papers on tornadoes and lightning. Dan also holds an active Remote Pilot Certificate from the FAA (Part 107) for commercial drone operation.