Weather My Closest Lightning Hit

turtlegent

turtlegent

Contributing Member
Today driving through the high plains of Eastern Oregon on I 84, I hit a thunderstorm that was very intense. Torrential rain and I had to slow down to about 40. Lightning missed my car by about 100 feet. The lightning hit the barbed wire fence by the freeway. The bolt seemed to turn red as it hit the fencepost, then there was a giant fireball and an explosion of sparks. Wow that was the closest I have ever been to a hit.
I just kept rolling, and could see more hits behind me.
I have had lightning hit our large pine tree in back of the house, but that was just loud and a treekiller. I did beat the storm home, but the weather news is saying it will be here by tonight.
 
West

West

Senior
Once I was bass fishing at a lake near the South Eastern Oregon Boarder. The bite was on! Hardly needed even a rubber worm. They all was feeding and fighting.

Storm started heading in, I couldn't stop fishing, the fish just got bigger and bigger. Light rain and a brisk wind gust. Green edges on the clouds above.

Then the hair on the back of my neck started standing up on end, my spinning rod started getting rats nest. Then bam, not 50 feet away, a cedar tree blew up with many colors and a neat fire ball. Pieces of it started falling from the air all around me. The smell of ozone was intense. Then I got the heck out of there.

All is good that ends well!

:D
 
N

night driver

ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
Was working at a KOA campground up on the St. Lawrence River and we had a storm come in. I had gone to the main building to make sure everything was wrapped tight, and on my way back to the cabin we had, I noticed the interesting smell of ozone (no, it is NOT ODORLESS, there IS an odor) and ALL of the hair on my arms and neck and head stood up. I aws 30 feet from the door and a stroke struck a tree behind me about 20 feet back. Took me 3 steps to clear 30 feet, pull open a screen door and land 10 feet inside the cabin. went back the next morning, and found the burn mark on the tree, and the burn spread on the ground.
Turns out that I was WAY luckier than I thought because the strike came down the farther side of the tree from me and the burn fan on the ground went 180* from my tracks. And THAT is as close as I want to EVER get to lightning!
 
Blue 5

Blue 5

Veteran Member
When I was stationed in Tucson I was washing dishes in our kitchen at our on-base house when a thunderstorm popped up to the south (behind the house). I couldn't see it coming, and the skies to the north that I could see were sunny as usual.

Suddenly a single bolt struck a tree in the neighbor's yard, and the charge came through the water line and zapped my right arm. Caused it to immediately spasm and knocked me to the floor. My arm hurt for several days afterwards.
 
F

FireDance

TB Fanatic
When I was about 8, we had ball lightning come in and bounce across the floor to the refrigerator (which I happened to be standing in front of). I danced and it danced and was gone. Glad I got to see it, but it would have been more interesting had it not been “coming for me.”
 
LightEcho

LightEcho

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Talk about flashbacks... you all made me remember when I was in high school.... weekends I worked for a pheasant breeder. One day I was in the wire fenced cage at the back end of the property changing out the water for the birds. These cages had big aluminum frames and were draped with galvanized chicken wire.

Light rain. Then a white flash that seemed all around me and instantaneous explosion. I think the wiring deflected the bolt. It might have been an untold story if I was holding the wire of the cage or standing in a puddle with non-waterproof shoes.
 
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