[TowerTalk] Lightning protection and a close one

[David Robbins]

the part that makes that 'blue sky' lightning even more alarming is that it is usually a relatively high current and long duration positive polarity stroke that comes all the way from the top of the distant thunderstorm.  these are often much more destructive than the common negative stroke right under the storm.  the way these work is that in the cloud normally negative charge accumulate at the bottom of the cloud and positive at the top.  the negative charges under the cloud push electrons away leaving positive charges under the cloud with a ring of negative charges around it.  the positive charge at the top of the cloud builds up longer than the negative at the bottom that discharges regularly to the ground.  when this large positive charge starts to generate a leader it often travels many miles horizontally before striking the ground.


Jul 8, 2013 11:27:47 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.

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.
_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk at contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk