Three of the storms we've had here this year rank among the most violent I've ever seen. One of them included a tornado (ridiculously rare in New England). Another sent devastating hail, and the third was the scariest storm I've ever seen (and I love thunderstorms and usually am not afraid of them). It lasted over 40 minutes and featured sheeting blinding rain, horrendous thunder, and more than 60 lightning strikes around our city -- one of which hit a building where I work and fried our phone system and started a fire.

I can't ever remember so many truly scary storms in one year.

I've been waking up because the lightning is so bright it gets under my eyelids and I must admit to having had the same thoughts as you guys.

Living in an area with regular thunderstorm activity (Colorado), I can't say that they're getting any louder here or any more violent. The town I live in is bordered by the Rockies front range on one side, and mesas on the other, so we often get some quite awesome acoustic effects. One of the best thunderstorms I was in was a few years ago in the winter, a thunder snowstorm. I've heard thunder a few times during snows, but I've never seen lightning. Imagine a deluge during a thunderstorm, now imagine that as snow. It was dark out, but during each lightning strike every flake lit up reflecting light. It was like being inside a snowglobe flash cube. The storm was directly overhead 'cause you could hear the crackle of lightning as it ionized the air, and an immediate roar of thunder. The poochies and I went out and played in it. Beautifully powerful, and totally amazing.

Probably just more intense thunderstorms thus more lightning, thus more strikes closer to you.

That makes sense, weretable. Like Miko, I usually enjoy thunderstorms, at least until recently. It makes me sad that they are becoming more scary than amazing or exhilarating.

I was at Glastonbury last year, and the storm on the Friday morning was the worst I'd ever witnessed in the UK at the time (we had a good watertight tent and were at the top of a hill, so were much better off than the people in the picture!).

This year, we've had several storms that rival that one in terms of loudness, intensity etc. This is just anecdotal, obviously, but it's my experience in the last year or so.

In related news, "NASA delays scheduled Sunday launch of Atlantis for at least 24 hours after lightning struck the launch pad" (from CNN.com).

Blame Burning Man.

Lightning photos. This storm was actually very quiet for me. Most of the thunder was quite soft and rolling.

However, about this time last year I experienced a storm that just about took 5 years off my life. Earthquake loud. Shit fell off of walls and shelves. Cats freaking out. I think I was actually in IRC on #metachat or #bunnies or something during most of it. (Yeah, yeah, go figure. Me taunting electrical storms and the wrath of god with my fragile little computer? Never.)

I have to say it seems the same as always to me.

About 2 weeks ago, the dog was acting weird, so I took him out for a pee. There was a strange flickering light, so I went to see if it was the aurora. Went down to a tidal cove nearby, and saw an amazing cloudbank full of constant lightning. The lightning was quite distinct, so it has to have been near, but the only sound was a little bit of very quiet thunder, like an occasional murmur.

I really expected g-d to start speaking, or aliens to arrive. There was another person watching for a while. The dog went into serious anxiety mode, so I went home after 10 minutes or so. It was eerie and beautiful.

I haven't seen any difference, but then it hasn't rained here for several months. We got a brief shower Saturday night and thought that was all we were going to get of the forecast rain, but the persisent sound of rain woke me last night and it seems we have had a decent downpour at last and rain is forecast for the whole week - yay! We are looking down the barrel of level 4 water restrictions unless we get some decent rain soon (currently on level 3). For this reason alone, thunderstorms would be a cause for rejoicing in the streets here, quite apart from the fact that thunderstorms are fantastic but all too rare in these parts.

Louder lightning means it is closer to you. The only thing that would make a lightning strike "bigger" would be an increase in the dielectric constant of air; meaning the voltage necessary for lightning to arc would have to be higher. Particulate matter, greenhouse gases, and all would actually lower this dielectric, making lightning weaker (but more common?).

File under confirmation bias; you're looking for an effect so you see it.