What's the closest encounter you've had with lightning?

[Minerva]

Mine was about 80 feet last spring when it peeled the bark off my favorite oak tree last spring. I was inside but it was still LOUD.

THIS on the other hand, is TOO CLOSE! Yeow! Talk about needing a change of undies! :shocked: LOL at the screams.

That storm didn't seem all that active and you know that's when it will strike and kill you!

 

[James3shin]

closest? I eat thunder, and crap lightning. <===who can identify where that line came from?

 

[bella ragazza]

In my backyard.

 

[jlmadyson]

I was on the golf course one day back in high school and I swear it felt like it was right over my head. The storm came out of nowhere.

 

[BornStar]

The pavilion I was in was struck while I was leaning against a wet support for the building. I got a nice shock out of it and my shoulder hurt for a couple of hours.

 

[NuclearNed]

About 5 years ago, my wife and I hiked to a waterfall in our area; it was about 2 miles through the woods and up a mountain to get to the falls. It was early summer, but the forecasts had called for good weather that day, and we didn't have any worries. As we got closer to the destination, we noticed that the sky was beginning to look ominous. Literally the moment we got to the waterfall, all hell broke loose in the sky. We were at a high elevation with nowhere to find shelter, and lightning was crashing down on all sides of us. That was probably the quickest I have ever hiked 2 miles back to the car, ever.

The cool thing is that right when we got to the waterfall, I had turned on my videocamera. I have a nice little 5 second clip that captures the waterfall, then the first crack of lightning, then me screaming like a deranged schoolgirl "let's get out of here!!!!!!"

 

[KMurphy]

In 1989 it struck the truck (Nissan) we were in. It hit the antenae and vaporized about 3". It fried the truck's ignition and fuel control systems. It over excited every muscle in our bodies. Our hair stood straight up (had long mullets at the time). When my eyes opened, I saw the green plasma field around the a-pillars and windshield frame fade away. It instantly killed our buzz also :| It sounded and felt like the truck was pile driven by a giant pile driver.

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: James3shin
closest? I eat thunder, and crap lightning. <===who can identify where that line came from?

Rocky

 

[Clockwerk]

I drive one everyday.. otherwise, no.

 

[AMDMaddness]

I was at a cell tower in one of the buildings at the bottom, the tower got a direct hit. The sound sounded like a freight train hitting the building. Then all this pretty blue electricity came in from the port hole and went down the racks it was pretty darn neat. It also knocked the fluorescent lights out for a second or two. Scared me half to death.

 

[imported_Snagle]

A friend was dropping me off at home at 4 AM on my senior homecoming night. We were less than a block away from my house and a bolt of lightning shot down no more than 10 feet in front of the car, scared the ****** out of us.

 

[DrPizza]

It was just starting to sprinkle outside; the storm was still off, well in the distance. I was standing at the back of my yard. CRACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK! Bolt hit 75 feet or so from where I was at. Scared the crap out of me. The kids, who were in the house, were crying because the noise was so loud (they were little). Now, whenever I'm outside playing softball with friends or something, and there's a storm close by - not so close that the rain cancels play, but close enough to see that there's lightning in the storm, I'm the FIRST one to say, "sorry, guys, see ya. I'm not fond of standing in the open when lightning is near. Had a close call."

Think of all the people who get hit at games each year... they're generally not so stupid as to continue playing with the lightning storm directly overhead... it's the unexpected bolts that kill ya.

 

[Minerva]

If you can hear thunder you can be struck. Doesn't happen often but when it does. :shocked:

 

[FoBoT]

my '90 Mazda got the antenna partially blown off by lightning about a year and half ago , sitting in our driveway about 100 ft from the house

 

[Riverhound777]

Lightning struck a telephone pole across the street from my house when I was little. It was late at night and I remember waking up thinking WTF was that? The breaker box in our kitchen still has burn marks from that(not sure why that happened). Lucky nothing caught on fire.