On Sunday, Norum was on a mountain trip with her friends Lill-Karin Leinan, Sandra Busa, Merethe Jonassen and Torhild Bowitz at Nonskollen in Vesterålen. The ladies had randonee skis with them, there was no wind and the sun was shining on the peaks. But then the weather turned – and the friends experienced something strange. – Eventually we got up to a plateau, and suddenly I got a shock in my hand. There was so much force that I let go of the stick. And then I felt the shock in the other hand as well. I wasn’t able to take hold of the stick there either, says Norum. Kine Therese Norum, Lill-Karin Leinan, Sandra Busa, Merethe Jonassen and Torhild Bowitz often go on trips together. Last Sunday they went on a randonee trip. Photo: Torhild Bowitz After that, the shocks only got stronger and stronger. – I looked over at my friend Sandra, who had her hair loose. Suddenly the hair stood up and stood straight up. – At the same time, I heard a sound that could be compared to a weapon being loaded, and began to feel the current through my feet. At that point I panicked and realized that this is very strange, says Norum. It was Vesterålen Online that first wrote about the mountain tour. This was the weather at Nonskollen on Sunday afternoon. When the trip started, the weather was clear and the wind calm, according to Norum. Photo: Torhild Bowitz Not knowing what it was, the friends first checked their mobile phones to see if the shocks could be coming from there. Nor did the avalanche detectors they brought with them make them any wiser. – We are all used to mountains and no one understood a thing. You feel incredibly small there and then. It was so powerful and clear, but then we realized that the things we have with us did not give us an explanation of what this was. The group of friends at Nonskollen. Photo: Torhild Bowitz Kine realized that they just had to get away. – It was both uncomfortable and disgusting. You felt yourself vibrate. Afterwards, they concluded that there must have been a lightning strike in the same area. – We gradually realize that this must have been a “freak accident” that has to do with the forces of nature. I’m the tallest in the bunch. When we look at it in retrospect, it makes sense that I felt it the most. The meteorologist: – A strong warning Meteorologist on duty Magnus Ovhed at the Værvarslinga for Northern Norway has checked the weather last Sunday and cannot see that there had been any lightning recorded in the area. – In contrast, there were very heavy snow showers nearby and very high storm clouds. This increases the chance that lightning discharges can come from them. In this case, it was probably very close to a lightning discharge, and there were very strong electric fields in the air. Such fields are usually strongest around mountain peaks. Then you can experience a lot of strange phenomena, says Ovhed. – Such as hair standing straight out, getting electric shocks from ski poles or ice axes or metal objects making buzzing noises. All this is a strong warning that the risk of lightning strikes is very imminent, according to Ovhed. – Being struck by lightning is something you should try to avoid forever in the world. As soon as you notice the slightest tendency to such signals, you must get down into the terrain. The meteorologist himself characterizes what the women in Vesterålen have experienced as extremely scary. – Although it is very tempting to stop to take pictures or make a video of it, you should just hurry away as quickly as possible. Because it is with life as an effort that you stand there. Most survive Statistics from the USA show that the vast majority of people who are exposed to lightning survive, says the meteorologist. Meteorologist on duty Magnus Ovhed at Værvarslinga for Northern Norway. Photo: Magne Velle – It shows that only 1 in 10 people who are struck by lightning are killed. Those who survive may experience more or less dangerous and unpleasant late injuries, such as losing feeling in the hand to memory loss or brain damage. More winter lightning in the north In the past, lightning was unusual in winter in northern Norway. – When I started as a meteorologist 25 years ago, it was a rule of thumb that winter lightning does not occur north of Vesterålen. But for the last 5-6 years it has been very regular. It is connected with climate change in our parts of the world, according to Ovhed. – The ocean areas are warmer and more humid, which means that more facilities are laid for powerful building clouds. So there is no doubt that the conditions in winter are more conducive to winter lightning up here than in the past. This does lightning to your body But how high are the tensions experienced by the women on a ski trip? Not so high, according to researcher Oddgeir Rokseth at Sintef Energi. – There is very little electricity and no energy. But there is a high voltage that knocks through your body to earth. Rokseth explains how it feels to stand in an electric field that occurs between the ground and the storm clouds. – It can be compared to the tension that occurs when you rub a balloon against your hair. You hear that it might pop a little. Or if you sub in a carpet and touch a metal object. Only stronger. What should you do when there is lightning? Photo: duane / flickr Seek shelter indoors if possible. Unplug electrical appliances, TV cables, telephone and broadband cables. Stay away from windows, open doors and metal structures. Stay in the car if you are out driving. You sit safely there. Avoid refueling a car or boat. Avoid staying in a small boat. If you are swimming, you should get ashore as soon as possible. Avoid mountain and hilltops, as well as open plains. Stay away from tall single trees. If there are no buildings nearby, seek protection in a cave, ditch or depression in the terrain, or lie down on the ground.
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– Suddenly the hair stood up – news Nordland
