Lightning storms last night

[smokeythecat]

They were quite intense. For two hours before it actually got here, the power went off an on about 10 times and at 95 degrees not especially good for the air conditioner, refrigerator and others.

It was one of the crack BOOM! kinds. Here's a pic of the approaching storm.

 

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[alaskaseeker]

Crack boom is very close for sure.....

 

[Kray Gelder]

When the flash and sound ( crackling/boom ) are the same time and the house shakes, you know it's right on top of you. Those hits can startle a dead person.

 

[smokeythecat]

Yeah, there was less than 1 second between a few of the cracks and booms. Or you just saw the flash. No boom. Too close. Of course I didn't do a Ben Franklin and go outside and play in it with a key on a string.

 

[Kray Gelder]

These Southern storms are really heavy duty. 15 or so years ago, visiting at my in-laws ( central SC ) the usual afternoon thunderstorms popped up. They had a clothesline strung between two oak trees in their back yard. The line was 1/4 inch copper wire, and about 50 ft long. The near end was attached to an oak just out the back door, next to the pump house over the well.

A huge bolt hit the tree out in the yard, traveled the clothesline to the near tree ( blew chunks of bark off of both trees in the process ), went into the ground to the well, traveled the water pipe under the house, and jumped to an electric wire next to the pipe. End result, fried the water pump, split the water pipe, and severed the electric line, knocking out the power. The floor joist briefly caught fire, and we were able to put it out by throwing dirt on it. A day spent on repairs. The tree by the pump ended up dying. Very intense.

 

[smokeythecat]

My 60' tall thornless honey locust was hit 10 days ago by lightning, or so my neighbor said. No evidence of damage. It's said a bolt can travel down the WET trunk of a tree and not kill it. I'd hate to have that taken down, it would cost thousands.