[TowerTalk] Lightning protection and a close one

[Cqtestk4xs at aol.com]

I've told this one before.  I was working on stuff in the yard  on a summer 
day in FL.  I was located about 15 feet form my well and about  10 feet 
from the guy wire on one of my towers.
 
There was a distant (probably at least 15 miles or more away)  T-storm 
starting to build, but from experience I knew it would be at least 30  minutes 
or more if it moved in my direction before it arrived.
 
Flash, crack right at that time!  I made a dash in to the  house 
immediately.  I looked outside and there was no sign of the storm  building or coming 
closer...nothing on the horizon other than that.   Feeling secure I went 
backout to pick up the tools I was working with.   As I got near the same 
area...flash, boom again.
 
Went inside the house to uh... relieve myself.  When I came  out and 
checked what time it was the microwave was blank and I heard the well  pump making 
a moaning noise as it tried to work.
 
The lightning had hit the well (260 feet deep and a great ground)  and had 
fried the pump as well as a bunch of stuff in the house.  Remember,  the 
well was 15 feet from me.
 
Moral of the story:  Lightning can strike out of an almost  clear blue sky. 
 Be careful!!
 
By the way, the storm never got any closer and I heard no other  thunder.
 
K4XS/KH7XS (Located in the lightning capitol of NA,  WCF)
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 7/8/2013 2:13:17 P.M. Coordinated Universal Time,  
K2STN at frontier.com writes:

There  are stories, presumably documented, of people being struck by 
lightning  from a storm ten miles away, in an area that did not appear to 
be 
at storm  risk... bright, sunny and clear.