[TowerTalk] Lightning protection and a close one

[Jim Lux]

On 7/8/13 7:43 AM, Cqtestk4xs at aol.com wrote:
> 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.

> Moral of the story:  Lightning can strike out of an almost  clear blue sky.
>   Be careful!!
>
I recall an American Meteorological Society paper that said roughly half 
of lightning fatalities in FLorida are "bolts from the blue": more than 
10 km from the nearest storm.

It is a fairly common phenomenon, and there's actually photographs of 
the lightning stroke emerging from about 1/2 way up the cloud (at 
20k-30k ft), going horizontal 10km, and then going 10km vertical down to 
the ground.


Most people are smart enough to stay indoors or seek shelter when the 
lightning is active over their heads, but the cell passes, the sun comes 
out, and they go back outside, and BANG: you've just added to the 
Florida human lightning strike statistics.