When lightning strikes, a life can be drastically changed. This was the case for me in July of 2006 when my best friend, Lee Weisbrod, was struck by lightning and passed away. Check out my map that shows the area in Bergen County where the lightning strike occurred in addition to immediate surrounding towns that [...]
Entries from October 2008
October 29, 2008
Let Me Shock You
Here’s what I’m looking at today…
A study finds a relationship between global climate, weather patterns, and the formation and movement of intense storms such as those that produce lightning and thunder.
Take the lightning quiz and see how much you know!
United States lightning activity in the last 60 minutes provided by StrikeStarUS.
PBS explains the fundamentals of [...]
October 27, 2008
Is Lightning Attracted to Umbrellas?
I’m a college student and I live on campus at Rowan University. This means my main mode of transportation around the medium-sized public university campus is my own two feet. That being said, on Saturday I was walking through campus on my way to the Rec Center while heavy rain was falling with my umbrella. [...]
October 21, 2008
Deaths Each Year by Lightning
Lightning seems to be the underrated killer. People often underestimate the power of Mother Nature. In the United States alone, there is an estimate of 25 million lightning flashes each year. According to NOAA’s Weather Service in the past thirty years, lightning has caused the death of an average of 62 people per year.
While these [...]
October 20, 2008
Football Association Puts Safety Into Writing
Hillsdale N.J. recently put lightning safety into their town football association guidelines. The policy expects coaches, umpires, coordinators, or the adult in charge to sign the policy so they are aware of the safety practice in addition to the penalties they face if they disregard the policy.
October 15, 2008
What is Lightning Detection Anyway?
Lightning detection quite simply works by listening for identifying noises on a radio spectrum to determine the strength and ultimately the distance of lightning strikes in the area. The detector uses directional antennas to determine the distance of the lightning. The data is then sent to software that plots the strikes on a map.
The National [...]
October 14, 2008
If Red Light is On, You Are Off
Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale, N.J. holds a near and dear place in my heart. It was there that my friendships from middle school solidified, it was there where I made new lasting friendships, and it was there that I grew into my own skin.
This weekend, I made a trip home to North Jersey [...]
October 8, 2008
North Jersey’s Protection
It’s been a little over two years since the death of Lee Weisbrod and Steve Fagan. Many North Jersey towns saw this has a warning and have worked to install lightning detection systems in hopes of preventing a similar tragedy from happening in the future.
Some towns with lightning detection are:
Bergen County Public Golf Courses:
Mahwah
Paramus
Ramsey
Teaneck
River Vale
East [...]
October 7, 2008
Detectors to be Dedicated
According to a recent article in The Pascack Press, the lightning detectors that are currently being installed in River Vale will be dedicated to the memory of two lightning victims, Lee Weisbrod (River Vale resident) and Steve Fagan (Washington Township resident).
The dedication, according to River Vale Mayor Joseph Blundo, will occur once the detectors are [...]
