UKH

There was an earlier thread (in another forum) about what to do in the event of lightening.

Advice seems to be: if forecast, avoid. If out already, get off the hill.

But hell, the MWIS forecast covering most of Scotland on Saturday is:

Showery rain, risk thunder
One or two clusters of showers around
dawn. Then showery rain developing fairly
widely, often heavy with some thundery
downpours bringing the risk of lightning.
Showers may become rare coastal hills later
in the afternoon.

Do most people avoid the hills with this kinda forecast?

In reply to Flinticus:

MWIS very often forecast thunder and/or lightning when none actually occurs. Met Office too but not quite as bad.
Personally unless it's obviously threatening in the morning I'll go out anyway but keep my eyes on developments and run away if necessary. I've got away with it so far, but remember 2 occasions when our hair was standing on end...

In reply to Flinticus:

I've often seen lightning forecast by MWIS or the Met Office, but usually go out regardless and, as Simon says, keep an eye on developments. I've only been on high ground in the UK a few times when lightning has struck.

On the continent it almost seems unavoidable in summer. I've been on summits in the Dolomites and had to leg it quickly to the nearest rifugio when a storm comes in. Last time it happened a group of Germans seemed quite content to slowly wander rather than go at any great pace - perhaps they're just used to such things?

Mind you, I was out in a lightning storm in a Swedish forest recently just after having read this:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/jul/13/what-its-like-to-be-struck-by-...
I was not happy...

In reply to Flinticus:

This old article of ours might be useful - How to Avoid Lightning https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/page.php?id=7458

These days I'm certainly wary if there's a thundery forecast, and would sure as hell get down and seek shelter if it did actually start thundering nearby.

In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

Thanks

Went out to Ben Tirran Saturday evening (started at 7pm) and camped on the summit.

Thundery weather forecast for Saturday day with it due to clear later. However it didn't clear until during the night and I was walking under dark brooding clouds, paranoidly watching out for lightening.

Farmers not happy with that, as speaking to one, they had been hoping to brinng in the hay Saturday but frequent heavy rain bursts meant the fields were too wet.

Normally get out early and get back before late afternoon when the high pressure comes in.

In reply to Flinticus:

I was caught out in a sudden thunderstorm in the Drakensberg in South Africa. It was terrifying. About 30 mins of the heaviest rain I've ever experienced and continuous flashes of lightning at about 10 second intervals with strikes hitting ground all over the place accompanied by the smell of burning. We were on a totally exposed mountainside with no shelter or cover anywhere. Then just as suddenly as it had started it stopped.