lightning

Lake George’s Mailboat & A Near Lightning Disaster

June 16, 2026 by Joseph W. Zarzynski 1 Comment

For decades, the unofficial slogan of the United States Postal Service was: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” That phrase was chiseled over the entrance of the James A. Farley Building, a post office facility in New York City.

The spirit of that tagline was demonstrated one day when a pilot of the Lake George mailboat briefly interrupted his postal duties to rescue a boater in distress. [Read more…] about Lake George’s Mailboat & A Near Lightning Disaster

What To Do When You’re Caught in a Thunderstorm

August 15, 2025 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Before embarking on an outdoor adventure, check the weather forecast for the location you’ll be visiting. If thunderstorms are expected, it’s best to change your plans. The United States has averaged 43 deaths per year from lightning over the past few decades.

Keep the following in mind to help you stay safe if you do get caught in a storm: [Read more…] about What To Do When You’re Caught in a Thunderstorm

1926: Man Claims A Lightning Bolt Cured His Rheumatism

July 30, 2025 by Joseph W. Zarzynski Leave a Comment

In the summer of 1926, David Lillie, from the Glenburnie-on-Lake George area, had an unusual experience with lightning. That firebolt would dramatically change his life.

Most American school children can tell you the story of Benjamin Franklin’s 1752 experiment with lightning, a kite and key, and electricity. Yet, lightning is a very scary thing. It is a powerful spark of electricity that happens between the skies and the ground. [Read more…] about 1926: Man Claims A Lightning Bolt Cured His Rheumatism

The Man that Caught Ben Franklin’s Lightning in a Milk Pail

January 29, 2025 by Joseph W. Zarzynski 2 Comments

In the mid-18th century, Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) invented the lightning rod to catch lightning and make it harmless to buildings. Two centuries later in 1947, a northern Lake George, New York-area man did one better.

One day while working on the family farm, he “caught” lightning in a milk pail. [Read more…] about The Man that Caught Ben Franklin’s Lightning in a Milk Pail

More Than A Dozen Rescue Missions Over Busy Fall Weekend in New York

October 8, 2024 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers launched more the a dozen rescue missions from Friday, October 3rd through Sunday, October 6th, bringing several unprepared and injured hikers out of New York’s back woods, locating a lost dog and fighting two wildfires. What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of these recent missions. [Read more…] about More Than A Dozen Rescue Missions Over Busy Fall Weekend in New York

Thundersnow: A Rare Type of Winter Storm

December 30, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

It’s deep in winter, and a nor’easter is dumping snow outside. In between the howling winds you hear a boom! Maybe a heap of snow fell from the roof, you think, or a giant icicle crashed from the eaves. A few minutes later, another boom pounds through the blizzard’s gales.

It’s closer this time, and it seems to resound from the sky. This booming may be a rare wintertime phenomenon: thundersnow. [Read more…] about Thundersnow: A Rare Type of Winter Storm

Campers Struck by Lightning in the Adirondacks

August 9, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

On Friday, August 4th at about 1 pm, while patrolling the Follensby Clear Pond boat launch in the Village of Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks, New York State Forest Ranger Adams heard sirens approaching and saw a Tupper Lake Volunteer Fire Department Truck pull into the boat launch. [Read more…] about Campers Struck by Lightning in the Adirondacks

Wildfires Continue To Burn Upstate New York State

June 7, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Wildfires burned more than 25 acres in six Upstate New York counties over the past week, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The wild land fires were the latest of dozens of fires started by inattentive campers, illegal brush burning and other causes that have rapidly spread in unusually hot and dry conditions across the state. One fire spread into Hudson Highlands State Park; another burned in the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest. [Read more…] about Wildfires Continue To Burn Upstate New York State

Lightning: A Science Primer

August 27, 2022 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

To say that lightning “splits” the sky is no mere poetry. A single stroke contains about one billion joules of energy, roughly 280 kilowatt-hours of electricity, and could power a modern American household for more than nine days.

What’s more, it’s enough to blast apart the very molecules that make up the atmosphere and temporarily scramble its composition. [Read more…] about Lightning: A Science Primer

Hiking Essentials: Thunderstorm Safety

July 9, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Before every hike you should check the weather for the location you will be visiting. If there are thunderstorms in the forecast for that day or night, change or delay your plans. Do not risk getting caught in a thunderstorm on a mountain trail.

Sometimes, thunderstorms can develop unexpectedly and appear despite a clear weather forecast. Keep the following in mind to help you avoid pop-up thunderstorms and stay safe if you do get caught in one: [Read more…] about Hiking Essentials: Thunderstorm Safety

The Thirteenth Lake Hotel: A History

January 30, 2022 by Dave Waite 11 Comments

In the summertime, the parking lot at the end of Thirteenth Lake Road in the town of Johnsburg, Warren County, will be crowded with the cars and trucks of people there to hike, paddle, and camp.

Few of these visitors realize that sixty years ago when they stood on the shore, they would have seen a large, modern-looking hotel sitting on the hillside overlooking the lake. This is the story of that enterprise and those who kept it up and running for over 100 years. [Read more…] about The Thirteenth Lake Hotel: A History

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