I did not mean to be disrespectful toward people losing there lives ,sorry.I removed my post

That will teach you for trying to watch Dragons Den..

Hailstorms in view of the resulting damage to houses, farms, gardens, balconies, cars, infrastructure and often occurring deadly accidents indeed are not exactly a basis for silly jokes

During the storm last night, when lightning was literally overhead, I kept hearing explosions. Thought they were gunfire at first. What was that likely to have been?

Thunder. I know this sounds obvious, but when the lightning is directly over you, it sounds like an explosion and not like the echoing thunder you much more often hear from farer away.

Thanks for clearing that up. Did think for one brief moment my neighbour was out with a shot gun then decided that something electrical had been hit. Obviously just the thunder.

I don't know for sure, but I have heard transformers blow out on power-lines with pretty explosive force during hurricanes and tropical storms. It usually sounds like a gunshot.

Lightnings getting into the lake DO sound like explosions

Transformers are NOT blown out on power-lines in Switzerland ...............

Are you 'being Swiss' here?

Whatever, I can say that transformers are even during thunderstorms and hailstorms NOT "blown out on power-lines". Particularily not in cities where such powerlines are mostly under ground anyway

LOL! IRISH Dragons Den at that! Thought it would make some amusing late lunch watching, now I'll never know...

Irish Dragons Den makes for fantastic comedy viewing. Low budget much?

And, even where there are overhead power lines in CH, there are NO overhead transformers (unlike the US).

Tom

For those new to CH:

Switzerland = Mountain Weather = VERY localised

15 km on the North East of Zürich, we were having a pleasant evening, it was raining, but not too bad and we could see the lightning show on the other side of the Züriburg.

But it's just remarkable seeing those 20min.ch pictures

20 Minuten Online Bildstrecke - Heftiges Hagelgewitter über der Schweiz

same here, ours is quite near to DB's place too, so bricking it a bit

Looking at those pictures is a relief to realise that there were not a higher number of casualties around CH.

Bigblue, if it's any comfort DB got hit with that storm last night in Pfäffikon SZ, not at home. At home the wind picked up a bit around that time, but that was all.

(We did get a thunderstorm at home much later on, about 1am, but nothing to compare. High winds, few twigs blown off the trees, and that was about it. Definitely no hail.)

Amen to that Cris!