Close encounters with Lightning who has had them

Many years ago, we had a desert thunder/lightning/rainstorm - probably middle of summer. My then boss wanted to go to the other building, but it was a major downpour. I told him to use my umbrella that I kept by the door for just such occasions.

While walking to the other building, lightning struck the power transformer about 40 yards from our office - blew the transformer to bits. A splinter lightning bolt continued on and struck the umbrella my boss was carrying. He was okay and the umbrella survived, but it sure freaked him out!

When he retired 16 years ago, at his retirement party, I came out with that same umbrella and he turned and saw me, and said, "NO! NO! Not the umbrella!"

It was pretty funny. I just threw that umbrella out a few months ago.....

TJ
 
Playing golf, the clump of trees were whakked near by in light rain. I received a buzz and laughing turned around to my friend who had just hit a shot and his club had been in the air at the time. He was lying down swearing. As it was his second serious injury that 9holes we decided to pack it in and return to the pub. His first injury was walking infront of me as I took a shot leaving a fried egg bruise in his calf muscle.

I have a passion for lightening. It hits hard in Southern Africa and once removed a courner of our offices (electrician had omitted a conductor there). The iron hills just behind become an attraction during a storm.
 
One night, when I was a kid, lightning struck the tree right up against the house, and jumped down the TV antenna. It was after bed-time, and it scared the crap out of me, and my older brother. The TV antenna wire ran down the outside of the wall that our bunk beds are against. Had to have been less than 10 feet away from us. It shredded the top of the tree, which was burning slightly, and blew our TV out.

I just remember the suddenness and intensity of the ear-splitting boom, and falling out of bed.

I've been within 50 yards of several tree strikes, as we lived on top of a west-facing cliff, with a long view towards the lake. The storms would come up quickly, and blow away just as fast. Oh, the fun! I loved to sit on the porch and watch them come in. Wish I had the time to appreciate a good storm, these days.

DD
 
A friend of mine used to live right next door to a power station (step-down station?). It was always great fun to watch the station during a lightning storm, because if it was struck, the colors and sparks were amazing. And, by virtue of being next door, his power was always the first restored. :thumbup:

Twenty-some odd years ago, I drove under a transformer at the very same moment it was struck. It was very loud. :D As I passed the transformer, I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw all the burning PCB's streaming down like a fountain. Red, green, blue, yellow, pink, orange..it was unreal. Very cool.
 
I was standing on a concrete floor, barefoot and all of about 7 years old. Lightning hit the building and belted me hard too, I got around the corner, up a big step for a 7 year old, around my moms desk and was sitting on the sofa with my feet up, still dont know how I got there.

Was swimming and only got out because my mom had warned me not to swim during a storm, which was quite close at that stage. As I walked into the change room about 20 yards away, lightning hit the pool. Made a very weird, flat, clapping sound that I have never heard again.

Friend and I were waiting next to the road for his girlfriend to pick us up in her car and a storm was almost overhead. My friend was terrified of storms and although I am wary I really like them. She arrived and as he touched the door handle to get in, lightning hit a huge gum tree about 15 yards away, sounded like a hand grenade and there was a load of bark flying through the air. We both crapped ourselves! Made a long burn mark on the tree and split the top 20 or so feet vertically.

My aunt was on the phone when lightning hit the line somewhere and blew her right across the room.

Friend was flying a twin turboprop that got hit by lightning, went in the left wingtip and exited at the tail. Did not damage the instruments but one engine needed replacing, spots had been welded onto some of the bearings.

One of my favorite experiences is watching a big storm over the sea at night. If you are flying at night and see a big storm its also spectacular, lightning illuminates the whole inside of a big cumulonimbus cloud so you have this huge glowing cloud for a split second extending about 20 000 feet vertically. Nature can bite but it can also be very beautiful.
 
Last week we had a few storms come through our area while I was on duty. Some trees and powerlines came down. While enroute to a call of a tree on fire a lightining bolt hit about 10 feet in front of our engine. There was a blinding flash and a crack and boom like I have never heard before. We had to pull over, stop, and gather ourselves before we continued our response.
 
I had one in 29 palms of all places!
We're all standing around waititng to have a friday libo-brief formation in the rain and CRACK! a bolt hit a power pole not 20 feet away.
 
Iv seen many colse stikes here in Taiwan !

The one that i remember like somthing il never forget was a strike that hit the central road barior pretty much right next to me when i was driving, i swear it moved my car !!! it didnt obviously but man that was too close, i felt like i had a static charge for the rest of the day !

Iv seen some good strikes at my house that were so close i could see the clouds open up like they were evaporating out the way of the lightning. I seen as many as four bright purple/blue strikes one ofter the other right to the same spot. its pretty amazing.

Another thing there has been alot of over the last week or two here is lightning with no thunder. These storms are right over head and you can see the clouds light up but the lightning dosnt touch ground and there is not even a peep, no sound at all.

Iv personaly never seen that anywhere else, only in Taiwan.
 
Another golf story. My friend and I got caught on the back 9 when a storm came in. We were both about 17 and didn't think much about it until the rain really started to come down. As we were walking back to the club house bam we both were thrown about 10 feet. You never saw to kids get up off the ground and run as fast as we did. After the sstorm was over we didn't even want to get our clubs. The Pro was good enough to get them for us. I'll never forget the buzz, loud bang, and flash of that strike.
 
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