[TowerTalk] Direct Lightning Strike Today

[Thomas Giella KN4LF]

I took a direct lightning strike today during a vicious lightning storm. At 4:30 pm EDT lightning struck my 50 foot Rohn steel push up mast. The mast is grounded by two 10 foot ground rods and my 80-10 meter inverted V antenna is grounded to three 10 foot ground rods. 

Most of the charge went straight into the ground via the mast but some also followed the 107 feet of 300 ohm window line feedline then to ground. The antenna is grounded just outside of the service entrance of the radio shack but a blue colored bolt of lightning still came through the glass window pane into the radio shack.

The lightning bolt knocked an Oregon Scientific wireless hygro-thermometer off of the window ledge and it also knocked a glass of ice tea off of my radio operating desk. I normally would have been sitting right where the glass of iced tea sat but I always leave my radio shack at the first sound of thunder. The lightning bolt struck about two seconds after I walked out of the radio shack. As I had my back to the electrical charge I didn't see it directly but I did hear the snapping sound of electricity and felt static electricity, plus smelled ozone and burning wood. 

I just finished inspecting the radio room at 6:00 pm EDT and luckily lost no radio, weather or computer equipment, the TV is okay too. All of my equipment was unplugged from the power mains, internet cable modem, antenna and ground but I feared (EMP) electromagnetic pulse damage. What I find amazing is that there is no mark on the glass window pane, plastic cup that held the iced tea or even the electronic hygro-thermometer. Heck the thermometer is still working! 

I haven't checked other electronic appliances in the house yet nor have I ventured outside to inspect the antenna mast and antenna, as it's still raining with distant rumbles of thunder. BTW I received 1.76" of rainfall, my biggest 24 hour total so far this summer.

Take Care,
Thomas F. Giella, KN4LF
Retired Meteorologist & Space Plasma Physicist
Lakeland, FL, USA
flycylone at tampabay.rr.com

NWS Tampa Bay, FL SKYWARN Observer #POL-10A

Lakeland, FL Daily Climatological Weather Data Archive: http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf22.htm
Florida/US Raw Weather Forecasting Resource Links: http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf13.htm
Florida Daily Weather Discussion Blog: http://www.kn4lf.com/flwx1.htm
Man Induced Climate Change Refuted: http://www.kn4lf.com/globalwarminglie.htm


 
-------------- next part --------------
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.10.1/391 - Release Date: 7/18/2006