they’re calling for thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon

[maverick]

so, they’re calling for thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon – i’m a bit torn about what to do. my commute home will take me from reston town center to falls church along the w&od.

i rode in the rain on monday – i didn’t like it, but i’d do it again.

thunderstorms are different. indeed, the chances of getting hit by lightning are minuscule, and they’re saying scattered thunderstorms. the storm may not even be over my commute path. but if i do get caught in a thunderstorm, depending on where i am along the w&od, there may not be a convenient place to wait out the storm.

am i being a wimp?

thanks!

Topic

[maverick]

@KelOnWheels 23187 wrote:

Ask and you shall receive! Splam!

I had a sparkly red motorcycle helmet when I was 5. My parents would let me ride on the back of their awesome 70’s Kawasakis up to the neighborhood ice cream store. Evel Knievel was my hero, probably because he had a cool jumpsuit.

What were we talking about? Oh, thunderstorms! Right.

that is awesome! thanks!!

[Terpfan]

http://imapweather.com/

Great for seeing live radar and storm updates. It’s on iphone and androids too. If you have a “smart” phone you can easily beat out 90% of the storms knowing where they are and how much time you have to stop/go somewhere for shelter, etc.

[maverick]

okay, i’m checking out the nutcase helmets – in addition to the purple dazzle, the watermelon looks very cool! how are these in practice? i have a helmet from specialized now, and it’s well ventilated and comfortable for my head (more longish than roundish).

[ShawnoftheDread]

@KelOnWheels 23187 wrote:

Ask and you shall receive! Splam!

I had a sparkly red motorcycle helmet when I was 5. My parents would let me ride on the back of their awesome 70’s Kawasakis up to the neighborhood ice cream store. Evel Knievel was my hero, probably because he had a cool jumpsuit.

What were we talking about? Oh, thunderstorms! Right.

Our sparkly red and sparkly gold helmets didn’t fit me, so I got to ride on the back of the Kawasaki and the Harley chopper sans helmet. Ah, the ’70s…

[FFX_Hinterlands]

The best advice is to be more flexible and ride in between the storms. After getting soaked in rain not visible on the regional radar I started using this map. You can plot wind speed as well.

http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/

[Mark Blacknell]

Some of my favorite rides ever happened in the rain.

[Rootchopper]

One of my favorite comedians, Ron White, has a line that is worth remembering. “It’s not that the wind is blowing, it’s what the wind is blowing.” Even if there isn’t any lightning, high winds have a way of dislodging dead tree limbs that are caught in the canopy. This is especially a problem on the MVT south of Old Town.

[Bilsko]

12:30 check of Wunderground/weather.com/CWG shows it pretty clear for the next couple of hours.
Just make sure you check before you head out!

[Bilsko]

Also – for all things weather, you cant do much better than spending $10 on this book:
Eric Sloane’s Weather Book -Amazon-

With tons of meticulously hand-drawn illustrations and in all its 1948 glory, it is well worth your money.

[creadinger]

I think I donated my 200-level meteorology textbook to the library in Silver Spring, otherwise one of you could have that.

[MCL1981]

@Rootchopper 23201 wrote:

One of my favorite comedians, Ron White, has a line that is worth remembering. “It’s not that the wind is blowing, it’s what the wind is blowing.”

[puff of cigar…] “If you get hit by volllllllvo….”

[KelOnWheels]

@maverick 23192 wrote:

okay, i’m checking out the nutcase helmets – in addition to the purple dazzle, the watermelon looks very cool! how are these in practice? i have a helmet from specialized now, and it’s well ventilated and comfortable for my head (more longish than roundish).

The watermelon is hilarious. I want them all!

They are not the most ventilated of helmets – I’m thinking of picking up something with more airflow for really hot days.

They are fairly round in shape (I have a long oval head too) but they do give you a good assortment of pads to switch around.

BikeSpace in DC has some in stock so you could try them on – I originally got mine thinking it would be my “extra” helmet I could leave at work for CaBi riding, until I looked at my “current” helmet and realized it was 10 years old

[consularrider]

@KelOnWheels 23214 wrote:

The watermelon is hilarious. I want them all!

They are not the most ventilated of helmets – I’m thinking of picking up something with more airflow for really hot days.

They are fairly round in shape (I have a long oval head too) but they do give you a good assortment of pads to switch around.

BikeSpace in DC has some in stock so you could try them on – I originally got mine thinking it would be my “extra” helmet I could leave at work for CaBi riding, until I looked at my “current” helmet and realized it was 10 years old

uuummmmm……brainnnnnns….

[rcannon100]

Something Wicked This Way Comes…

[TwoWheelsDC]

“Boss, I know I came in late because of #fridaycoffeeclub, but now I need to leave early because of thunderstorms. You wouldn’t want me to get hit by lightning when I was just trying to save fuel, reduce congestion, and be healthy–all so your newborn child can enjoy a healthier planet–would you???”

[Author]

Replies