Huge positive lightning bolt almost zaps an Australian lightning photographer

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dartworth

dartworth

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
15,200
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Another Story link - this may be a repost
site is getting slammed it seems...

The above photo is courtesy of Kane Quinnell from Australia. It was almost his last. The above lightning stroke was almost certainly a "bolt from the blue" - a relatively rare positive lightning bolt that originates from the top of a distant storm cloud rather than from the negatively charged cloud base. These massive discharges can travel horizontally for 10 miles or more from the top of the main storm. Positive lightning bolts can pack peak currents of up to 340,000 amperes, and they last for tens, or even hundreds, of milliseconds. This is about ten times more current and ten times longer than regular (negative) lightning. As a result, positive lightning is extremely hot, and it does considerable damage to whatever it hits. If you happen to be unlucky enough to be the target of one of these monster bolts, you DO NOT survive. Here's Kane's description of what happened in his own words:

"I happened to be out in the back yard, watching a storm on Friday night (14/01/05) that appeared to be a few km away, (I live in Old Toongabbie, and the storm appeared to be in Pendle Hill, or Greystanes, Australia). I set the camera's settings so that the shutter remained open for four seconds, placed it on the back bumper of my car, hoping to get a few shots of lightning in the clouds a few km's away. There was no rain at all, and stars could be seen over the north 1/3 of the sky, so I did not feel in danger in any way. Boy was I mistaken... DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE ELECTRICAL STORMS - YOU COULD GET YOURSELF KILLED!

I clicked away a few times, and got nothing, and then clicked the button again, and within 0.5 seconds of me pressing the button, I had jumped at least 2 metres in the air, as I heard a tremendously loud crack of thunder, and see this amazingly bright beam of electricity right in front of me. I had then landed, grabbed the camera, and was inside the house within 2 seconds.

I did not realize just how lucky I was until I uploaded the picture to my computer, and saw a leader stroke that must have originated no more than 2 metres from where I was standing next to my car, under my carport. Had the main charge taken the leader near me, rather than the one it did, I would be dead.

When lightning strikes, it actually comes up from the ground first (called a leader stroke), this stroke makes the air within it conductive, and once it reaches the cloud, you have a complete circuit, and the bolt of lightning comes down from the cloud along the leader stroke. First leader to the cloud wins, luckily mine did not.

I estimate that the main bolt was approximately 1.5- 2 metres in diameter, and struck something in the yard behind the shed that is located at the back of the yard. That would have had an extremely large charge, and would have been extremely hot, hotter than the surface of the sun, at 5,500 degrees Celsius, it could have been around 30,000 degrees Celsius. Needless to say, I was buzzing for the rest of Friday night, due to the amount of adrenaline going through me 'cause of how close it had come."

Kane Quinnell was one very lucky bloke!
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skyking

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,747
5,908
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That's cool! I was about 75 yds. from a bolt that hit a transformer once. Everybody in the room was watching the tv and facing inward, I was looking out the screen door. The bolt and exploding transformer startled me, but I was watching it. Everybody else had their backs turned, and it scared the crap out of them:p:D
The TV got real bright, and never worked again:)
 
K

Krazefinn

Senior member
Feb 1, 2006
610
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I guess I should buy lotto ticket. Hit twice, once getting off the tractor in a sudden thundersquall/microburts, got off in the heavy rain and bolt struck pine tree not 6 ft behind me. I had pine needles and bark embedded all down my back. Only felt a tingle, deafening boom. Jumped into truck real quick. Fl is #2 in strikes, to Montana.

fast forward 20 yrs, mowed the lawn, came in house barefoot, standing on tile floor, opened oven up ayt the very moment a bolt hit the power transformer just outside. the surge carried thru the grounding wires into stove handle. Paramedisc treated me for 3 burned rt hand fingers and 4 crispy black rt ft toes...told me I was lucky not to have gotten the surge across chest, only down. Knocked me back 10ft, woke up on the kitchen table still hiolding the lasagna.

I have a healthy respect for mothernatures fireworks.
 
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