On the lake in a pop up thunderstorm

[SkiGuy1980]

I've been caught in those pop-ups before. The worst was when we were running in a secluded area and I thought I heard thunder. The skies had been clear and there was no hint of bad weather. By the time we pulled the boom and swung onto the main part of the lake the skies were black. We tried to make it back to the dock, but ran into an absolute downpour, then hail... and I couldn't see a thing due to hail and darkness. We stopped and tried to huddle over the kids. When it lightened up enough that I could see we were close to shore I started to run it aground just to get us off the water... when lightening hit a tree right where we were headed. One of the scariest times ever.
I don't know the right answer, except do not get under a tree in a lightening storm. If I had that to do over I would have run to shore sooner and layed down on the flat ground.

 

[southkogs]

Interestingly, I just had an experience with a pop up this week! They've had a heckuva' time callin' weather here in Middle TN as Alberto kinda' jacked things up. We were out on the lake for about 4 hours in nice, hot, sunny weather. Just chattin' and enjoying the day. Looked over trees and a ways off I could see some clouds that didn't quite look right. We were putting along, and I decided to start making for the boat ramp.

By the time we were there, it was obvious that it was a storm blowing in. And just as I cinched the last transom strap on the trailer, the rain started. Within 1/2 mile from the ramp, driving home, we could see white caps on the lake and there was hail hitting the windshield. NOAA still listed us as sunny and 87 degrees

 

[H20Rat]

Here are the stats for lightning deaths. Surprisingly, it is actually fairly rare for someone on a boat to be hit, checked the last 3 years and there was only 1 per year, and no deaths on the water in 2014. Per capita, Wyoming, Alabama, Colorado, Florida, and New Mexico, in that order, are the states you want to avoid.

(they aren't kidding when they say don't stand under a tree though!)

https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-victims
https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-fatalities17

https://www.weather.gov/media/safety/08-17Fatality_Map_state.pdf

 

[SkiGuy1980]

Pretty decent article online from Boating Magazine.... Bottom line is get off the water if possible. They provide a few precautions to minimize the potential of getting killed in a lightning strike. "An open boat like a runabout is the most dangerous to human life during lightning storms, since you are the highest point and most likely to get hit if the boat is struck. If shore is out of reach, the advice is to drop anchor, remove all metal jewelry, put on life jackets and get low in the center of the boat. Definitely stay out of the water and stow the fishing rods" Still 1 in a 1000... don't like the odds.

One in 1,000 Boats Are Hit by Lightning Per Year
BoatU.S. gathered insurance claim data from a 10-year period and found that the odds of being struck are about one in 1,000 in any given year (see below for a breakdown by boat type). Location, however, matters a great deal. Florida accounted for 33 percent of all claims, and the Chesapeake Bay area accounted for 29 percent.

Boat Type - Chances per 1,000
Multihull Sail - 9.1
Auxiliary Sail - 4.5
Cruiser - 0.86
Sail Only - 0.73
Trawlers - 0.18
Bass Boat - 0.18
Runabout - 0.12
Houseboat - 0.11
Pontoon - 0.03
PWC - 0.003

Boating Magazine