>>848451My mother was actually at Hardangervidda during this event.
Story tiem.
I live on an island in western Norway, where storms and rain are bountiful. During the summer, however, we (contrary to popular belief) get some pretty warm days, which leads to copious amounts of thunderstorms. About 10-15 years or so back, we had a really nice summer. This evening, me, my cousin and a couple of friends went over the bay in two boats to play with a water trampoline (imagine a trampoline, but inflatable and on water... also, it's not bouncy at all) at my friends place. In the distance across the fjord, we can see some sporadic lightning, and dark clouds are moving to the west (away from us).
We're playing and having fun, when suddenly the western sky grows dark. The storm has turned around, and we're now smack dab in the middle of its trajectory. The smart decision, and my immediate idea, is to stay as close to land as possible. However, on the other side of the bay my family was having a beach party and saw what was coming. My aunt rang me, believing we were out in the actual fjord, and told us to get back to their place.
We got in the two boats, my cousin and I in mine, and I told the two other guys in the other boat to stay close to land. They chose, however, to go directly from A to B, which meant crossing relatively open water. After a couple of hundred meters, a super cell hit. Suddenly, we're hitting Beaufort 12, and lightning all around us. Shit is fucked up, and I can't do anything but laugh as I see the other boat going straight for land.
One house was struck a mere 200 meters from us, and the lightning completely blew up the chimney.
I'll attach a map of the area.
After that event, I've learned to respect both the sea and the dangers of weather.
