How unlucky is she to have the same tree struck by lightning 5 times.

House sitting for a relative a couple of years ago I had a lightning strike occur in the middle of the night, it was about the distance from where the woman in that video is standing to the silver jeep that you see in the background. Just WOW! The dog was sleeping with me and the two of us went straight up about a foot and a half. Neat trick, when you’re laying flat. As close as I ever need or want to be.

That cat likes cooked Squirrel and wanted first dips on those domiciled in former tree.

Love watching that motivated cat roll in. Boy was it traveling.

When I was 15 I was watching lighting standing in front of a picture window. Lightning struck an out building approx 75 feet from me. That was over 50 years ago and I can still remember the flash/sound.

Lightning struck a tree across the street from my kindergarten classroom and I remember it vividly. That was over 70 years ago!

I thought I’d experienced some fairly close strikes where I lived in NY by the St. Lawrence river, and the years I lived in Florida. Then we had a lightning storm that rolled through a resort we stayed at in Orlando a few years ago visiting the in-laws.

My wife and father-in-law (Florida natives) were sitting out on the back deck watching the show. I went out to join them, and lightning struck no more than fifty feet from the edge of the porch. Very loud, just about blindingly bright. “Oh Hell no” came out my mouth somewhere during the .3 seconds it took me to make it back inside. They stayed outside, laughing. Then there was another strike maybe fifteen seconds later that had to have been just about as close because they came barreling in after me, not laughing.

Don't know where it hit, but had a lightning strike that must've been about that close years ago. Still had an aluminum door wall at the time. I was standing near it, inside, and saw sparks jump between the moving part and the frame.

I was surprised nothing in house was fried.

"They" say that if you can see lightning and hear thunder, no matter how far away it seems, it's best to assume lightning can strike near you at any time.

Holy crap. I’ve never seen a tree explode like that. I think the 100 mph cat was awesome.

The cat

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:
Holy crap. I’ve never seen a tree explode like that. I think the 100 mph cat was awesome.

Yeah he appeared to be in a 4 wheel drift there for a second on the wet grass.

That cat ran so fast it may have traveled back in time. What could possibly be going through that mini cheetah head? Squirrel snacks or what?

I think they both (cat and lady) had to change their shorts after that.

The wife and I were sitting out on the porch watching a thunderstorm a few years back and we saw a bolt hit a tree about 80 yards away. Split that tree right down the middle and it was a pretty good size oak.

quote:

"They" say that if you can see lightning and hear thunder, no matter how far away it seems, it's best to assume lightning can strike near you at any time.

If you can hear thunder you're in range period. Lightening can also travel beyond the sound of thunder, over 10 miles. This is why they suggest waiting until 30 minutes after the last thunder is heard before venturing back out.

wife and I were watching TV one day during a rainstorm,

very little thunder, just a good rain,

the the tree outside our backdoor , about 20 yrs , lit up,

fortunately , it was an oak,

was cause it had a jagged line down the side and around the tree where the lightning traveled, and blew bark from that line over the house (2s story, walk up and in attic) into the front year,

we both about shit ourselves,


besides the tree, only damage was it kilt my modem in the desktop,
we figured since the cable line was inbetween the tree and the house, it got a shock,
yet the TV (same cable line) never flickered


few years later, another oak, maybe 50 yrds east of the one that died, was hit in a similar fashion

quote:

Originally posted by Jelly:
What could possibly be going through that mini cheetah head? Squirrel snacks or what?

The cat did not witness the strike and failed to correctly locate the the direction of the strike via the sound. Perhaps the sound echoed off a building on the other side of the cat, so he ran away from that sound and towards the location of the strike. Needless to say, if the cat had been anywhere near the tree when it was struck, it would have run away from that location.

That really puts lightning strikes into perspective, with the shear force they have. Her guardian angel was working overtime.

Had a lightning strike “danger close” experience. Heard a sizzle noise, boom and flash nearly simultaneously. Something I’ll not forget.

quote:

only damage was it kilt my modem in the desktop, we figured since the cable line was inbetween the tree and the house, it got a shock,
yet the TV (same cable line) never flickered

Lightening also creates an EMP which can fry electronics that aren't even plugged in.

I grew up less than a mile from an old forestry fire tower. Every now and then it would get struck and even being a half mile or so away it was damn near a “code brown” event every time.

This is why I live in earthquake country.