What are the chances of getting hit by lightning? Are they higher if you are riding a bike on the sidewalk in the middle of a Florida Thunderstorm?

It’s the rainy season here. Almost daily in the late afternoon, an incredible amount of rain falls from the sky amidst a powerful array of lightning bolts and corresponding thunderclaps. The rainclouds are often quite localized and rarely stay overhead for more than half an hour. In the time they are around they drop an immense amount of water. For good reason too!

It’s mid August and without the natural irrigation, I’m sure lots of local plants and creatures would fry because of the heat. I’m still trying to figure out the Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion, but what I do know is that it’s HOT! Because of the heat and humidity, this area is the perfect breeding grounds for big towering clouds, and hence, heavy thunderstorms.

Thank God for air conditioning and swimming pools, or I would doubtless fry as well. I’ve taken to going shirtless almost all the time, wearing my swim shorts so I can jump in the pool at a moments notice.

I enjoy going for solo ‘expeditions.’ Little outings on foot, rollerblades, unicycle, car, or whatever other form of transportation is available and best suits the mission. I treat myself to ice cream, go shopping, explore trails, or anything else that peaks my interest. The object of these expeditions is not always clear at the outset, but I always have some meaningful time spent with myself, along with all kinds of great entertainment.

The other day I rode about five miles of sidewalk on my unicycle to buy a couple items from the nearest shopping centre. The ride there was fairly uneventful, just the usual honks and waves due to my somewhat unique mode of transportation. I found what I wanted at the back of the store, grabbed a cool drink, and checked out.

As I left the store it was starting to rain and customers were gathering under the store awning to avoid getting wet. I assessed the situation and decided that waiting it out wasn’t worth my time. So I took off my shirt and socks and stuffed everything I wanted to stay dry into my waterproof fannypack, a very sound investment by the way.

I took a hefty swig of my bubbly juice drink, and ventured into the downpour. I pictured myself as somewhat of a superhero, being the only one daring enough to face the mighty storm. It took about four seconds for every inch of my to be completely soaked with rainwater, which confirmed that I was as much a victim of the storm as anyone. 

I used the beak of my baseball cap to shield my eyes from the pounding rain. Whenever I saw a flash of lighting I counted seconds. Every five seconds  between lightning and its following thunder equals one mile from the lighting. I was riding about one mile beside a major cell for a while. Then I rode right into one. There were several strikes so close I didn’t have time to start counting. The kind where you can see the distinct shape of the bolt even though it’s in the corner of your eye. And you instinctively yell something inaudible at the top of your lungs.

As I was riding through the pouring rain I began to ponder the question, how much of a chance do I have of being hit by lightning? I didn’t really have any way to figure out the actual answer so I conclude it wasn’t worth worrying about because if it happened I wouldn’t have time to be scared. It would just happen.

If you’ve never been caught in the rain, I highly recommend it. You can decide to make it a very unenjoyable experience, or make it so much fun you don’t want it to end. I had so much fun riding through the downpour, singing and screaming like a crazy man. Hopefully I made some motorists smile as they made their commutes.  It’s really quite an amazing thing to be surrounded by something so powerful and majestic.