General Weather/Earth Sciences Topics > Lightning
Mounting poles and NOT attracting lightning.
NHWF5510:
Been searching the internet and having little luck getting a straight answer so i was hoping some members who have a good understanding of lightning can steer me in the right direction. I honestly don't really understand much about it.
I want to install a mounting pole for an anemometer. ideally 20-30' tall. The weather station would likely be mounted on it too. That being said, i don't want to "attract" lightning. Is a conductive pole a good thing? or a bad thing? Is a tall steel pole set in concrete going to attract lightning more than a steel pole bolted to a 6x6 wood post set in concrete? It's not realistic to go with a wood pole above 10' so that's not an option.
It's bad enough that a lightning strike could damage my weather station, but seeing as all my homes utility wiring is all underground as is my well pump wiring in the general vicinity of where i'm planning to put this pole i don't want to literally set myself up for a disaster.
We do get a good amount of lightning here and the previous homeowner already replaced a well pump once due to a strike.
nincehelser:
It's not so much an issue of "attraction", but what's going to happen if lightning hits.
A tall metal pole should be well-grounded. That way if lightning hits, it will be channeled safely to ground.
If it is not well-grounded (like your steel pole mounted in a wood post example), then the lightning is forced to pass through something of higher resistance (the wood). The wood will likely explode, if not burst into flame, from the current being forced through it.
chief-david:
--- Quote from: nincehelser on November 15, 2017, 06:16:28 PM ---It's not so much an issue of "attraction", but what's going to happen if lightning hits.
A tall metal pole should be well-grounded. That way if lightning hits, it will be channeled safely to ground.
If it is not well-grounded (like your steel pole mounted in a wood post example), then the lightning is forced to pass through something of higher resistance (the wood). The wood will likely explode, if not burst into flame, from the current being forced through it.
--- End quote ---
Yea, but that would be cool.
NHWF5510:
Ok, so i'm not making anything "safer" by mounting a steel pole to something wood. Good to know. Ill just set a steel pole in concrete and make sure the bottom is in direct contact with the earth. But my other question still remains,
Is having a well grounded steel pole on my front lawn going to attract a lightning strike more than say, the pine trees 50' away that are much taller? i'm just trying to find out if i am increasing the chances of getting a strike by doing this? Or will my giant trees surrounding my property still be more likely to be struck then a steel pole?
Again, the bottom line is i don't want to open myself up for major damage for the sake of my weather station by doing this the wrong way.
nincehelser:
--- Quote from: NHWF5510 on November 15, 2017, 07:07:57 PM ---Ok, so i'm not making anything "safer" by mounting a steel pole to something wood. Good to know. Ill just set a steel pole in concrete and make sure the bottom is in direct contact with the earth. But my other question still remains,
Is having a well grounded steel pole on my front lawn going to attract a lightning strike more than say, the pine trees 50' away that are much taller? i'm just trying to find out if i am increasing the chances of getting a strike by doing this? Or will my giant trees surrounding my property still be more likely to be struck then a steel pole?
Again, the bottom line is i don't want to open myself up for major damage for the sake of my weather station by doing this the wrong way.
--- End quote ---
Lightning often hits taller objects first. It depends on how close they are and how much taller they are. The further away they are, the less "protection" they provide.
That's not 100% a sure thing, though. For example, lightning will sometimes strike the side of a tall building or tower instead of the top.
It's just very hard to predict exactly what lightning will do. That's why it's best to prepare by assuming it WILL eventually hit, and providing it a safe path to ground.
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