Lightning Strike - too close for comfort!

tangs rule

tangs rule

Active Member
Last nite (sunday) we had a little thunderstorm form over the neighborhood and this is the neighbors 6 foot+ diameter Oak tree. The strike that did this about messed my pants, as it was only 200' away.
Notice the bark missing up high:

A little bark gone from the trunk:




A yard full of tree bark:

When one of those "BIG" lightning strikes hits a tree - the sap/water in the pulpwood within the tree is converted to steam - causing the bark and outer layers of the tree to be blown off - expolsivley.......This tree will probably die within a year or 2.
 
slice

slice

Active Member
I bet that did make you soil your britches. That is a strong tree to be able to take a strike like that, but yeah, still probably fatal...but hey, that's a lot of potential firewood!
 
reefraff

reefraff

Active Member
If it were me I would see if my insurance company would pay to remove the tree now and plant another rather than waiting for this one to die off. There are likely some weak spots in it now that could easily snap off in strong winds. A dam Shame, that was a nice tree.
 
tangs rule

tangs rule

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slice http:///forum/thread/386895/lightning-strike-too-close-for-comfort#post_3400503
I bet that did make you soil your britches. That is a strong tree to be able to take a strike like that, but yeah, still probably fatal...but hey, that's a lot of potential firewood!
Yea - in picture #3 - the trunk is really damaged, with serious cracks/splits in it that you can see into several inches. It was a hell of a stirke - with the sound hitting me the same time as the flash - so I knew it was close. Their whole backyard is covered in bark chunks.
 
tangs rule

tangs rule

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackjacktang http:///forum/thread/386895/lightning-strike-too-close-for-comfort#post_3400753
I remember when lightning strikes pretty close you can hear the bolt, not the thunder but like the electricity. Like a zap.
Yup - there was a faint "zap" or little "crackle" before the main sound hit - My ears have been ringing since - I assumed it was the giant OAK in my front yard, cause the living room absolutly LIT UP.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerth6932 http:///forum/thread/386895/lightning-strike-too-close-for-comfort#post_3400756
Oak as fire wood??? No.... Make a stand and canopy out of it!!!!!!

Give it time to dry out some first - but I'm tanked out now, need more house if I wanna go bigger than 475g.
 
raptor72

raptor72

Member

Does the sex change have to do with the lightning strike?
We jokingly attribute his decision to get a sex change due to him getting hit by lightning. So whenever a storm approaches we tell each other to watch out for the lightning so the same thing won't happen. (Not as funny when you have to explain it).
 
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