{"id":179076,"date":"2026-01-23T04:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/?p=179076"},"modified":"2026-01-22T10:45:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T23:45:38","slug":"committee-for-lorne-dry-lightning-a-lethal-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/news\/committee-for-lorne-dry-lightning-a-lethal-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Committee for Lorne: Dry lightning \u2014 a lethal reality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dry lightning \u2014 a lethal reality<\/strong><\/p>\n

As dusk descended on Lorne on Friday, January 9th \u2014 the eve of the Pier to Pub, the busiest day of Lorne\u2019s annual calendar \u2014 the sky glowed threateningly red with a smoky sunset the like of which we had not seen for many years.<\/p>\n

To the southwest, from Lavers Hill to Gellibrand, two fire fronts had joined into one and were advancing on Carlisle River. \u00a0Strong winds were fanning the smoke and haze eastwards across the Otway ranges and blanketing the coast with a sense of Armageddon.\u00a0 To the west of Apollo Bay, the GOR had been cut and closed, with multiple \u2018leave now\u2019 alerts issued to residents across the high ridges at Wyelangta.<\/p>\n

While in north-central Victoria, a swift and tragic swathe of destruction swept away the hamlets of Longwood, Ruffy, and Caveat, and evacuations stretched across a wide front from Euroa to Alexandria, droves of P2P swimmers were continuing to pour into Lorne for the annual iconic event.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Despite the outward mood of celebration that annually accompanies the P2P weekend, there was a certain forced gaiety this year as it was impossible to miss the undercurrent of tension in the town, where a taint of anxiety was being\u00a0 provoked by the lurid evening sky, the sniff of smoke had thickened the seaside air and, as the sky darkened to night, lightning flashed ominously out to sea.<\/p>\n

At the Bowls Club, Lorne locals spoke in low tones about dry lightning.\u00a0 Meanwhile, the city folk\u2014less used to the ever-present threat of forest fire\u2014could be heard doubting its existence, despite that the BoM had been warning of it all day.<\/p>\n

\u201cDry lightning?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that a myth?\u00a0 It\u2019s just some of the stuff they make up to frighten people.\u00a0 Surely lightning means a thunderstorm, and a thunderstorm means rain.\u00a0 Lightning cannot be dry?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

But no, sadly it\u2019s not<\/u> a myth \u2026 and, for the residents of a town like Lorne that nestles in the embrace of dense eucalypt forests, it ranks at the top of our list of existential threats.<\/p>\n

So \u2026 what is<\/u> dry lightning \u2026 and how can<\/u> it be \u2018dry\u2019?<\/p>\n

Dry lightning occurs when the rain produced by a thunderstorm evaporates before it reaches the ground, leaving the lightning alone to strike dry land.\u00a0 This creates a major bushfire risk when the ground vegetation is dry as the lightning will ignite any vegetation it strikes without any accompanying rain to put out the flames.<\/p>\n

In hot, dry conditions\u2014like those that so often occur in our Australian summer\u2014the air temperature in the lower atmosphere can be so hot and dry that any rain that might be generated by the storm in the upper atmosphere has completely evaporated before it reaches the surface.\u00a0 On the other hand, as the electrical charge carried by the lightning bolt does<\/u> reach the ground, it leads to the significant risk of a fire starting but without any rain to put it out.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dry lightning fires are particularly common in Australia and the American West, where unpredictable bush fires [Australian] or wildfires [American] occur that are impossible to predict or prevent.\u00a0 Indeed, although conspiracy theories of firebugs abound\u2014and there are clear and multiple instances where fires are known to have been deliberately, carelessly, or inadvertently started by human hand or by human-operated machinery\u2014lightning [and especially dry lightning] remains the most common cause.<\/p>\n

Thunderstorms also commonly produce \u2018forked lightning\u2019, a zigzagging and branching form of lightning where the electrical discharge splits into multiple paths as it travels downwards from the upper atmosphere.\u00a0 This forked, branching pattern of multiple ground-seeking strands can frequently trigger multiple and coincidental ground fires that challenge even the best trained and at-the-ready firefighting units to respond to and contain as they find they are fighting a dozen or more spot fires once.<\/p>\n

As the https:\/\/www.weather.gov<\/a> website explains: \u201c\u2026 lightning is, in effect, a giant spark of electricity occurring in the atmosphere between the upper atmosphere and the ground. \u00a0While air initially acts as an insulator between the positive and negative charges within clouds, or between clouds and the ground, if the differences in charge become too great, the insulating capacity of the air breaks down and a rapid discharge of electricity, which we see as lightning, results.<\/p>\n

Lightning can occur between opposite charges within a thunderstorm cloud (known as intra-cloud lightning) or between opposite charges in the cloud and the ground (cloud-to-ground lightning), but from here on in, things start getting more complicated and are beyond the scope of this short article to explain.<\/p>\n

Dry thunderstorms are not only the most common natural cause of bushfires, but they also produce strong gusty surface winds that then fan the flames and contribute to the well-described adage that \u201cbushfires create their own weather ecosystem\u201d.<\/p>\n

A key feature of any fierce bushfire and \u201cthe creation of its own weather\u201d are the pyrocumulonimbus clouds that form over a large, out-of-control forest fire [NB: a volcano exerts the same effect].\u00a0 As hot, buoyant air rapidly rises from the surface, it cools, expands, and then condenses into water vapour on any accompanying ash, forming a grey, wet, ash-thickened pyrocumulus cloud.\u00a0 Voltage differences between the base and top of the cloud trigger electrical instability, the combination resulting in lightning and localised rain.\u00a0 But … and here\u2019s the thing … as the surface is still superheated, the rain evaporates before it hits the ground, but the lightning strikes … Bingo! … dry lightning spot fires!<\/p>\n

The strong winds\u2014an invariable feature of intense dry thunderstorms\u2014are caused when the evaporating precipitation cools the air beneath the storm, increasing its density, and making it weigh more than the surrounding air. As this cool air rapidly descends and impacts the ground, it fans outwards as a gusty wind that expands away from the epicentre, picks up dry soil and sand, and creates secondary dust and sandstorms.<\/p>\n

True, thunderstorms do not have to be completely dry to be considered dry.\u00a0 Many jurisdictions accept 2.5\u00a0mm [0.1 inches] as the threshold between a “wet” and “dry” thunderstorm.\u00a0 But a hallmark of a dry thunderstorm is that there is little to no rain … certainly insufficient to prevent lightning strikes from causing any area with trees or other vegetation\u2014especially when dried to a crisp by a string of hot summer weather\u2014to catch fire.<\/p>\n

So … yes … dry lightning does<\/u> exist\u2014and all too commonly\u2014in our dry, fire-prone Australian environment.\u00a0 It is not a figment of some weatherman\u2019s imagination.\u00a0 It is real, deadly, and an ever-present risk to rural and regional Australia, as we have yet again been forced to reckon with during these recent days.<\/p>\n

John Agar<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feature Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n

A word from the chairman<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Hello<\/p>\n

This week, Lorne and its neighbouring towns were front page news around the world. \u00a0As we clean up the mess in the aftermath of the unprecedented floods which devastated our neighbouring towns of Cumberland River and Wye River, we give thanks to our community and our emergency services for their response to this crisis. \u00a0\u00a0While our riverbank camping ground and several riverside businesses were inundated, volunteers quickly jumped to action to minimise the impact and Lorne recovered well apart from some traffic disruption. \u00a0While many people have lost cars, caravans, camping gear and other possessions, miraculously no lives were lost and there was only one reported minor injury. \u00a0It would surely have been a very different story if it had happened at night!<\/p>\n

The events of last Thursday left several hundred people without shelter and many of them made their way to Lorne where an Emergency Relief Centre had been quickly set up at Stribling Reserve, manned by Surf Coast Shire staff and volunteers. \u00a0The Lorne community sprang into action providing food, clothing, bedding, transport and accommodation to all who were in need. \u00a0The spontaneous generosity of Lorne residents who opened their hearts and their homes to welcome strangers in a time of need makes me proud to be member of this community. \u00a0I also want to say a big thank you to the many Surf Coast Shire staff and councillors whose implementation of their Emergency Management Plan was impeccable.<\/p>\n

One week on, Lorne is back on its feet and well and truly open for business. \u00a0The Great Ocean Road is open through to Apollo Bay and beyond, three of our four camping grounds are open for business and all our accommodation and hospitality venues are ready to welcome visitors for the long weekend and into February. \u00a0Tell your family and friends to come and share our piece of paradise.<\/p>\n

Last Sunday several hundred (mainly of an \u201colder\u201d demographic!) packed into the Lorne Theatre to hear the music of Ross Wilson and the Peaceniks. \u00a0For many of us it was a return to our youth of 40 or 50 years ago and was an opportunity for our community to come together in song and dance after a few scary days. \u00a0Thanks to Josh Rudd and his team for bringing the theatre back to life.<\/p>\n

This Australia Day weekend will be busy as always. \u00a0On Saturday, the Foreshore Market will offer a range of home-made produce, gifts and clothing to raise valuable funds for our Lorne School. \u00a0On Saturday, the Aquatic Club will be holding a fundraiser for the Lorne CFA with a sausage sizzle, raffle and auction. \u00a0Please come along and show your appreciation to our CFA volunteers for their commitment and care for our community.\u00a0 All our hospitality venues will have live music over the weekend, the weather is looking good, so there is no reason to stay home. \u00a0Come and celebrate the values that define and bind us as a community and a country. We have much to celebrate!<\/p>\n

Happy Australia Day<\/p>\n

Lorne Ward Events Calendar<\/strong><\/h1>\n

January <\/strong><\/p>\n

24 Lorne Market,<\/strong> 9-3pm www.lornemarkets.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

26 Lorne Aquatic Club Closing Down Party<\/strong>, with live music & fun<\/p>\n

28\u2013 1 Feb Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race,<\/strong> info and road closure: www.cadelevansgreatoceanroadrace.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dry lightning \u2014 a lethal reality As dusk descended on Lorne on Friday, January 9th \u2014 the eve of the Pier to Pub, the busiest day of Lorne\u2019s annual calendar \u2014 the sky glowed threateningly red with a smoky sunset the like of which we had not seen for many years. To the southwest, from […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":179079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-179076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCommittee for Lorne: Dry lightning \u2014 a lethal reality - Surf Coast Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dry lightning is one of the most dangerous causes of bushfires in Australia. 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