# How do you feel about violent thunderstorms? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 24, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831 "2010-07-24T13:20:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/21 "2010-07-24T16:06:00Z")
Absolutely love 'em. “Outside” is the porch, mind you. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/22 "2010-07-24T16:23:13Z")
We love them. We always go outside and watch. Our daughter and I usually come back in soaking wet from playing in the rain. That tends to take 40 years off my age. Now, it’s a different situation when I’m in a moving vehicle. I’ve been in about 6 car accidents, and all of them were in the rain. I can be found in the passenger seat, grabbing the nearest “oh-shit-we’re-going-to-die” handhold until the rain is over. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/23 "2010-07-24T16:34:56Z")
Yeah, “outside” is the porch. The dog feels somewhat differently - he’s really more afraid of the rain than the thunder and such. We love 'em, though. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/24 "2010-07-24T16:56:07Z")
> [@Ann\_Onimous](#): > > We love them. We always go outside and watch. Our daughter and I usually come back in soaking wet from playing in the rain. That tends to take 40 years off my age. > > Now, it’s a different situation when I’m in a moving vehicle. I’ve been in about 6 car accidents, and all of them were in the rain. I can be found in the passenger seat, grabbing the nearest “oh-shit-we’re-going-to-die” handhold until the rain is over. Yeah, I’ll concede the moving-vehicle exception. I hate driving in bad weather. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/25 "2010-07-24T16:59:13Z")
I usually find violent thunderstorms fairly exhilarating–if I am safely inside. If you can _hear_ the thunder, you are within striking distance of lightning. A good hurricane can also be enjoyable, even if there is not much thunder & lightning. (There is some.) Note: _Never_ ride out a storm if you’re within range of storm surge… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/26 "2010-07-24T17:02:38Z")
I love them but the cats freak! ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/27 "2010-07-24T17:10:25Z")
Love them. Love playing in the rain. My daughter and I used to pretend we were goddesses during storms. We’d hold our arms out, spin around and command the wind or sing for the rains to come. It was like magic when the drops started falling. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/28 "2010-07-24T17:12:18Z")
Love them— **if** I’m safe from them. Don’t like driving in heavy rain, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/29 "2010-07-24T17:43:18Z")
Big fan (tho I definitely like to hear my sump working.) House got hit by lightning once. Not much damage other than a hole in the roof and a couple of fried TVs. In college one summer I had a room on the top floor of a house, that was pretty much all windows on 3 sides. Used to LOVE it when a huge thunderboomer would hit… ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/30 "2010-07-24T18:40:25Z")
I used to live in the Midwest, now I live near Seattle, where a “severe thunderstorm” might have a single lightning strike. I haven’t seen a real thunderstorm in years, and I miss them. But not enough to return to Minnesota winters. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/31 "2010-07-24T18:40:32Z")
Trained WX spotter here. Lightning and thunder - cool Heavy rain - as long as the basement is dry, OK Stong winds - I’m worried about trees /branches damaging the house Hail (bigger than 1 cm) - start worrying about tornadoes wall cloud - keep a lookout rotating wall cloud - head for basement Brian ---
**Author:** ![LegsAkimbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@LegsAkimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LegsAkimbo)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/32 "2010-07-24T18:55:06Z")
LOVE them when I am on vacation in someone else’s house or an inn of some sort. Here at home the dog is afraid, the power invariably goes out and they can’t ever manage to get it back on for at least two hours, heavy limbs fall from our many trees onto things, and I worry that a whole tree will fall on the house. Thus, here at home I prefer my storms coming from my iTouch while I have the noise-canceling earbuds in as I fall asleep, putting me in the middle of it without it actually being a threat. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/33 "2010-07-24T19:14:00Z")
I used to love storms. The older I get, the more upsetting I find them. Now, all I can imagine is a tree falling, or the roof leaking, or something catching fire, or someone dying. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/34 "2010-07-24T19:36:12Z")
I always like a good storm at night. Of course, a good TStorm brings out the monsters that live in the couch, and so my dog has to go behind the couch and protect me from them… ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/35 "2010-07-24T20:54:16Z")
I love them, and I go out in them. Ditto for hurricanes, though I do get back into a safety zone before the wind actually lifts me off my feet. Leaning forward and having it hold you up is way cool, however, and not worth missing. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/36 "2010-07-24T21:00:50Z")
I love them (when I am safe at home). But if they happen late at night I always sleep through them though - I am a heavy sleeper. Then I feel bad the next morning when everyone talks about the huge storm we had last night. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/37 "2010-07-24T21:02:45Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I used to love storms. The older I get, the more upsetting I find them. Now, all I can imagine is a tree falling, or the roof leaking, or something catching fire, or someone dying. Age has convinced you that someday you will die. It did it to me as well. Stupid entropy. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/38 "2010-07-24T21:16:33Z")
Another SkyWarn spotter (and ham radio local net ops) checking in (heh). I love storms and go into full geek mode. I have custom web pages and Google Earth pulling radar data off of the NWS web site, radio on for taking reports and TweetDeck open for reports from places too distant for my radio. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/39 "2010-07-24T22:07:16Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > > [@jsgoddess](#): > > > > I used to love storms. The older I get, the more upsetting I find them. Now, all I can imagine is a tree falling, or the roof leaking, or something catching fire, or someone dying. > > Age has convinced you that someday you will die. It did it to me as well. Stupid entropy. :mad: Yeah. We’ll all die and all roofs leak eventually. Stupid universe. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831/40 "2010-07-24T22:15:58Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > > [@jsgoddess](#): > > > > I used to love storms. The older I get, the more upsetting I find them. Now, all I can imagine is a tree falling, or the roof leaking, or something catching fire, or someone dying. > > Age has convinced you that someday you will die. It did it to me as well. Stupid entropy. :mad: I know this is tongue-in-cheek, but it doesn’t seem like only young people love thunderstorms. I’m still trying to understand why some people love thunderstorms. I spend the whole winter cowering. I’d love to learn how it’s done. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-violent-thunderstorms/547831.md?page=3)