Topic: Tree Partly Debarked by Lightning

[Bunty]

Below is a picture of my across the street neighbor's beautiful oak tree that got struck by lightning this evening, 9/8/09. The damage extended up 3/4 up the height of the tree.  Some of the bark that the lightning ripped off landed across the street in my front yard. It knocked my and mine neighbor's electricity off for 5 or 10 minutes.  We were thankful the lightning hit no house.  The storm looked heavy on radar with no severe thunderstorm warning out.  Rain from the storm amounted to .46.




http://stillwaterweather.com

[DanS]

Hope your neighbor has better luck with their beautiful Oak than we did. Same thing happened to us with an old Oak tree.  It died later and had to be cut down.

[Downlinerz2]

   When you see something like that it definitly brings home the power of lightning ! I had a similar situation a few years ago where the neighbors tree got hit.  The damage was very similar to what your picture shows.  The tree was cut down last month because it never really recovered.
             Mark

[SylvaniaWeather]

I've got a matching dead one from last year in my back yard.  Man did we jump it was so loud.  Threw bark about 40 feet.

[kray1000]

Hope your neighbor has better luck with their beautiful Oak than we did. Same thing happened to us with an old Oak tree.  It died later and had to be cut down.

Odds are good the tree won't make it.  We had the same thing happen at the house I grew up at.  Lightning hit a limb about 3/4 up the tree, wrapped around the tree to a width of about a foot wide near the bottom, and threw bark hard enough to leave dents in our storm door about 70 feet away.  Took several years, but the tree died a slow death.

My next door neighbor's oak tree was hit about eight years ago, close enough to run in on the cable line and blow out several cordless phones, two TVs, and a solar lights transformer.  Threw mud on the house and left a fresh/burnt wood smell for several hours.

Both of these lightning strikes were unbelievably loud as well.

[Mark / Ohio]

Looking at that photo reminded me of a customer I had a number of years ago.  They had a pole light across the drive.  The lightning hit the tree churning up the soil beneath the tree then run across the cement drive cracking it to the pole lamp underground wire.  From there it run into the house wiring exploding the light bulbs in the chandelier above the dining room table along with the wall switch, took out the both TV's in the house plus other assorted wall outlets and the kitchen appliances and a telephone.  When I was there they had just found some more outlets no longer working that had burned internally yet showed no signs of damage externally.  They were having supper at the table under the lamp when the bulbs exploded.  

They said the lamp worked really well for a brief instant.    

[DanS]

Sounds like that particular lightning bolt had their name on it!! I guess when it hit ground (under the driveway) it wasn't finished yet. What did it spare, did the doorbell button survive?

[Mark / Ohio]

Sounds like that particular lightning bolt had their name on it!! I guess when it hit ground (under the driveway) it wasn't finished yet. What did it spare, did the doorbell button survive?

Don't remember but I'm sure either way it worked really well for a brief instant too.  

[DanS]

Thinking about that story kind of makes you wonder about lightning rod protection for your home. If there is enough "punch" in a bolt, I guess getting it to ground via direct cable might not be enough.?.?.