Lightning

[metriccrescentwrench]

I witnessed a lightning strike yesterday that's a big reminder about how unpredictable lightning can be. You often hear that many lightning hits occur before the main part of a storm arrives, but how many of us will stay on a lake and not seek shelter until it's pouring down rain?

Yesterday there was a fairly nasty thunderstorm brewing some distance from where I work. According to radar the edge of the rain was about 5 miles from us, and it didn't really look very bad outdoors yet. All of a sudden our building took a direct lightning strike, luckily nobody was hurt and no damage done (though I'm still holding my breath over some electronic equipment). It would have been bad news for someone in this same situation in the middle of a lake though, scary to think about.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Lightning

I have heard lightning can travel 4-5 miles from a storm and you are correct, it is nothing to mess with.

We got caught in a storm a couple weeks ago adn I was fine till I saw lightning then we headed for shore, nothing you want to play with.

I have pushed my luck plenty in the last 15 years and decided it just isn't wirth it.

One of my trees at the house was hit a few weeks ago, I was watching my fairly new plasma TV at the time, someone in the kitchen screamed and said fire came out of a plug and you could smell burned electrical stuff.

We looked at the tree and all it did was blow the bark off and the only thing in the house was the GFI plug in the kitchen which still works, counting my blessings on that one, it didn't get the tV or computer or anyhting else, just the GFI plug.

 

[KC4YIN]

Re: Lightning

One of my trees at the house was hit a few weeks ago.


Give that tree some time. It will probably die. My grandparents had 2 big pine trees in their front yard near the water's edge here in eastern N.C. Lightning got both of them and killed them.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Lightning

We had two big (80') pines and a holly in between. Lightning hit one tree, came half way down, went through the holly's wet leaves, and then to the ground through the other tree. Eventually all three died.