First ever lightning strike !!

Just thought I would share this with you guys. I have just seen my first ever lightning strike. It has been raining and thundering for about an hour now and fifteen minutes ago I saw a massive flash of lightning, which I caught on my mobile phone, then almost immediatley afterwards a bolt of lightning struck a tree across the road. It sounded like a massive explosion then there were sparks coming from the tree and a sound like firecrackers going off. I wish I had waited a second or two later before taking a picture, then I might have caught it.

It didnt half get my pulse racing anyway.








The tree on the bottom left is the one that was struck. From here it does not look damaged, but I wont go out until this storm finishes !!

Sorry about the picture quality, it is only a phone.

You had never seen lightning prior to taking that pic? Or prior to that storm I should say? BTW nice work on capturing a strike on a camera phone.

You caught a bolt of lightning on camera! Impressive!

Way to go!

Yep, that's not an easy thing to catch!...

Personally, I've seen (and felt) more than my share of lightning strikes, hehe.... (Maybe that's why I'm not "god-fearing"....he keeps just barely missing....)

Yes I haven't managed to catch any lightning on the ground yet in the few times I've tried. Just a thought though..... doesn't lightning always strike the ground? Or can it just jump around the sky too? I thought every bolt of lightning jumps from the clouds into the ground (or apparently the other way around too, somehow).

Second pic is pretty cool. Looks like a big ball of energy coming towards you, or a nuke exploding a few blocks away (would not be cool).

lightning doesnt have to go to ground, it can go bettween clouds too

i remember one time me and my dad were watching an exeptionaly fierce storm, and it struck a tree 5 metres from the window we looking out, i jumped back clear across the lounge room

For years the only lightning we had was heat lightning out over the ocean. Our last big thunderstorm we had four strikes during it. We used to NEVER get lightning over the island until about 5 or 6 years ago.

When I lived in Fairfax, VA. lightning struck my house once and fire shot out of every electrical outlet in the house. The electrical outlet in my bedroom was located behind my bed and it actually caught my mattress afire.

Hi , would the original poster/or others , mind if I put a pic of a lightning strike that I took this year....?


helen

Feel free .........................

Ok

Thanks!

I dont know how to put the pic here....it's too big anyway!

........................................deleted pic ....mistake!
it was taken at night......
thanks again!
helen

Talk about being an idiot!
:shk:

helen
I just realised that this is a Picture-phone thread.......I'm sorry!
this was not taken with a mobile phone...
I can take it off if you like?
:shk:

[edit on 10/20/2005 by helen670]

[edit on 10/20/2005 by helen670]

Thats a really good pic !!!!

I first saw forked lightning about 6 years ago here in Dublin. I was at an outdoor Bon Jovi gig and there was a huge storm. The lightning was framing the stage and there were rumbling rolls of thunder. It was especially great when Jon sang the line "Shot through the heart" and he fell to his knees as the heavens battled ferociously above him.

Amazing night, or should I say one wild night.

I live in Orlando, FL... and every summer we get a LOT of lightning. Once I was curious and went outside (not a good idea) and one stroke about 10 meters from me on this lake behind my house. I then started trembling because of the loud noise lol

BTW Nice pic!

Yep, as previously mentioned, there are different forms of lightening.

Sheet lightning : The charge spreads from cloud to cloud. This is quite frequent during storms with minimal rain, and dry/thin atmospheres.

Fork lightning : Standard cloud to ground lightning. (Actually strikes many many times during that one flash, but our eyes arent quick enough to notice.)

Trailers : Little forks of lightning that trail up from conductive objects. Only visible from afar, these are the little guys that tell you where lightning is most likely about to strike. Usually to faint to see... however, next time theres a storm rolling in towards a marina... sit at a distance, and watch the masts closely.

I used to work at a marina... you see it alot. Suprised we never lost a boat yet to lightning.... a couple of strikes on some of the vessels, but no damage as of yet, maybe theyre built in a way to prepare for just that.

I don´t know if this is true, but I´ve heard a story about a ball lightning (or lightning ball?). It came into the room through an open window. It was flying around in the room for a few seconds and then it went out of another open window and disappeared.

Ah, I do love a good light show.......and we've lost a few tall pines during them. They look like they've had a strip of bark peeled/zippered off from top to bottom, and then they often die.

A wire fence had been nailed onto one that was struck, the charge ran down the tree, along the fence and BLEW UP one of the wood fence posts!! There were small bits of the post scattered over a 20-30 ft area. The rain must have soaked the post, and the lightening turned water to steam instantly!