It Was Like An Explosion

[93legendti]

I went out for a mid day recovery ride. After an hour, the clouds turned black and I hightailed it home. 10 minutes after I got inside, the rain, thunder and lightning let loose. Then the sky lit up as I heard BOOM.

The tree is across the street, the sliver of tree impaled itself on our lawn. Debris from the tree is scattered all over the street. Wild stuff.

[Dekonick]

I went out for a mid day recovery ride. After an hour, the clouds turned black and I hightailed it home. 10 minutes after I got inside, the rain, thunder and lightning let loose. Then the sky lit up as I heard BOOM.

The tree is across the street, the sliver of tree impaled itself on our lawn. Debris from the tree is scattered all over the street. Wild stuff.

Wow. I had to call home and tell my wife and kids to take shelter last week - a tornado warning was issued (not watch... warning = tornado) but they would have never known unless watching TV. My wife is really good about limiting TV for the kids... so good thing I was at work and was able to get them in shelter at home. Everything turned out ok, minus lots of trees/limbs down. :banana:

[dekindy]

I am glad you got inside and out of harms way before it struck. I was inside when our recent lightning strike occurred but the sound almost gave me a heart attack.

We are still recovering from a strike that occurred a few weeks ago. Immediate casulaties were a garage door operer and home telephone line which turned out to be an ancient caller id unit attached to an upstairs telephone, and internet service which turned out to be a damaged modem. Subsequent casualties turned up regularly including a 4-year old computer attached to the internet modem (fried power supply and mother board but salvaged the hard drive and date) and a printer. All damaged items were in close proximity in the upstairs except for the garage door opener. I was in the process of backing up the replacement laptop's entire system when a thunderstorm popped up tonight and I disconnected the laptop and external backup drive from everything when the backup was completed. Paranoid, I reckon.

The sound was so loud that I thought the strike was outside the window and coming through the wall. Neighbors for a half block in every direction described it the same way so it must have been a massive strike although there was no physical evidence anywhere in the neighborhood. The strike must have been closest to our house because I am the only one to my knowledge that has electrical, cable, and telephone whole house surge protection and the only one to suffer damage. My whole house may have been knocked out without the protection. Many of my neighbors have had trees, roofs, and electronics struck or damaged by lightning strikes over the last several years but we had been spared until recently. I guess the law of averages caught up with us. I was prepared with surge protection and now my computer is backed up so at least I learned my lesson for now and hopefully will maintain better vigilance in the future.

[Dekonick]

I went out for a mid day recovery ride. After an hour, the clouds turned black and I hightailed it home. 10 minutes after I got inside, the rain, thunder and lightning let loose. Then the sky lit up as I heard BOOM.

The tree is across the street, the sliver of tree impaled itself on our lawn. Debris from the tree is scattered all over the street. Wild stuff.

Lightning!

[Ken Robb]

While Les and I were waiting on the ground at Reagan 7/13 our plane was hit lightning--loud and BRIGHT! 13 hours to get to San Diego. CRAP!

[Lifelover]

I went out for a mid day recovery ride. After an hour, the clouds turned black and I hightailed it home. 10 minutes after I got inside, the rain, thunder and lightning let loose. Then the sky lit up as I heard BOOM.

The tree is across the street, the sliver of tree impaled itself on our lawn. Debris from the tree is scattered all over the street. Wild stuff.


It wasn't "like" an explosion, it was an explosion. I suspect as the electrical current passes thru the tree, a pocket of moisture is heated up so quickly that it turns to steam in an explosive instant. Your picture is a great example of how much energy there is in steam.

Very cool stuff, I have never seen and tree shred like that.

[regularguy412]

It wasn't "like" an explosion, it was an explosion. I suspect as the electrical current passes thru the tree, a pocket of moisture is heated up so quickly that it turns to steam in an explosive instant. Your picture is a great example of how much energy there is in steam.

Very cool stuff, I have never seen and tree shred like that.


Exactly right! A month after my mom moved into her new house ('bout 5 yrs ago now), lightning hit a BIG oak tree on a neighbor's lawn about 50 meters from her front porch. I live 3 miles away and even I heard the boom. The concussion blew out her picture window (no debris hit it, though there were chunks of tree the size of footballs in all the yards around). It also blew javelins of wood into the side of a garage situated closer to the tree. Some pieces were found over 100 meters away over in yards in the next block.

Nature can be pretty intimidating. Take care when you're out on the roads.

Mike in AR:beer:

[Dekonick]

Another reason not to ride aluminum frames ;)

(Yeah, yeah... I know steel conducts... somehow thats ok with me :)

[93legendti]

I was riding my Kirk JKS...I was hoping my carbon post would save my butt :D

[redir]

Giant oak tree got hit in my back yard a few years ago, it was crazy, the whole tree came smashing down.

Just this past weekend my brother and his daughter were in a canoe in the middle of a lake when one came up really fast. 80 mph winds flipped the boat over. They got toed in and my niece apparently was laughing the whole time lol.

[Hawker]

Another reason not to ride aluminum frames ;)

(Yeah, yeah... I know steel conducts... somehow thats ok with me :)


But you'd be safe 'cuz you're on rubber tires. :)

[SEABREEZE]

Florida being the lighting capital of the world, its a daily summer occurance every afternoon of exposions, the best is when it takes out a electrical transformers high up on a pole next to your house.

When lighting and thunder are all around you, you are mentally prepared.

But the worse is when they sneak up on you, FIRST IN A SERIES, you can jump out of your chair, not expecting anything when it comes so close to the house..

[SEABREEZE]

But you'd be safe 'cuz you're on rubber tires. :)


At one time I was under the same beleif


Not true, many have been hit by lighting sitting in there car.

[Bud_E]

Wow! The weather where I live is artificially created by Hollywood producers so we rarely deal with lightning strikes - especially in summer.

On an unrelated note, for some reason this reminds me of the time that I was jolted awake in the middle of the night by an explosion - like a gunshot. In the morning I looked around and discovered that the anchor bolt that holds the garage door spring had pulled out of the frame and the spring which was under tension shot almost completely through the dry wall on the garage ceiling.

[SEABREEZE]

Wow! The weather where I live is artificially created by Hollywood producers so we rarely deal with lightning strikes - especially in summer.

On an unrelated note, for some reason this reminds me of the time that I was jolted awake in the middle of the night by an explosion - like a gunshot. In the morning I looked around and discovered that the anchor bolt that holds the garage door spring had pulled out of the frame and the spring which was under tension shot almost completely through the dry wall on the garage ceiling.

Close enough to lighting LOL

You do have those Santa Ana's, that produce fires, just as bad...

[93legendti]

I've looked at the tree a few times today...very compelling, it's hard to stop looking.

[SEABREEZE]

93 imagine two hurricanes hitting you within a two week period..

Like a bomb went off

Very compelling when its in your face, so to speek..