Lightning strike

[Paul_H]

It's been hot and dry around here with temps in the high 90's.Last night around 10:00 the thunder storm rolled in and put on a pretty good show.We went out just after 11:00 and saw what appeared to be a bright orange star in the North East sky.
We watched for awhile and could see when lightning flashed that it was a fire up on the hill.

I woke up at 3:00 and looked out the window to see this.





I zoomed in for the pictures and the bigger trees in the foreground are in our back yard.The fire is a few miles from us and we live in the moist valley floor but there are major power transmission lines directly below the fire, so I think it will get some attention at daybreak.
The lightning was still hammering away at the hills at 4:00 am,so I think there might be a fair amount of action around here today.

No rain

[Frank_Pender]

Paul, you got plety of water and a good firebreak around the house?  I hope you can still get out if you have to get in a hurry.  Some of the wildfires in Calif., around Shasta, are really moving fast.

[EZ]

That lighting is really something at times. We have or I should say had a 40 inch oak up front that got struck by lighting. It blew it apart with one crack.
Hope they get the fire out soon.
EZ

[Ianab]

Thats got to be a worry
We had thunderstorms here too... but too wet to start a fire
A small torando came in off the sea and demolished a house, killing one of the occupants .
The 3 survivors where found up to 200 yards from the house.  
Saw the pics on TV with the house wrapped around an uprooted 6' Mac Cypress, so it must have been pretty intense where it touched down.
Saw hurricane Charley on the news too... so our local storm doesnt seem so bad..

Ian

[Paul_H]

We have been overdue for fires here.The last major year was 1991 and it did a lot of damage to the timber but no property damage.
Since then there have been large areas infested with budworm and pine beetle,plus more housing developments on the hills among the timber.It's only a matter of time...

Our place is surrounded with Cottonwoods and Birch with a lot of geen undergrowth,so the chances of fire coming close to us is remote.There are people between us and the fire on the hill that will have to watch closely but I'm guessing that the fire will be hit first thing this morning.

I was watching the damage from Charlie on the news last night.I feel for those that were hit.
What a mess :-/

[Norm]

Glad to hear your in an area that's less likely to burn Paul, seems the downside is the flooding you get. I'll bet the burning is pretty at night... nature in all her fury.

[Corley5]

Thunder storms with no rain.  That RARELY happens here.  On occasion we have a forest fire started by lightening but it is usually from a tree that smolders for a few days until things around it dry out enough to burn.  Sounds like you're in a good spot.  You see homes around here that have been built in plantation red pine with  no consideration given to firebreaks etc.  I'd be nervous.  I've got eight rows of them by my house that I burn the duff out of every few years.  They don't pose a real serious threat but the just the same ;)

[Tillaway]

I don't think I can access lightning tracker from the house.  I wonder how many down strikes we had.  There were over 445 down strikes in 45 minutes on the last storm.  All concentrated in a very small area.  

[L. Wakefield]

I don't think I can access lightning tracker from the house.    

   Hmm- can you explain that, by any chance? I hadn't previously heard of 'lightning tracker'. If I think of it I'll do a search, but wouldn't mind hearing here as well since you jnow what you're talking about and I don't  :D :D  lw

[leweee]

when the flash & BANG are together you know it's close

the ladder is up against my house...30' from my back door

those pieces on the ground are 2x4 size.

split top to bottom :

poor old norway spuce :'(

bark where it landed...next to back porch ..Now was that close or what? July 30th 1:00am 2004 :

[Frank_Pender]

    Well, we had not heard from Paul since early today.  I just had to give him a call on the landline.   He said they hit the fire heavy with the bombers this morning.  Seven or eight hits he said.  They are safe and sound and no cause for the fire getting near his place.  He did say that there was a small community near another fire that is poised and ready to evacuate about 300 folks if need be.

I am heading for the sack.  I have been up since 4 this morning and it is just about cool enough to get some sleep, at an hour past my bedtime. :-/

[Tillaway]

Nice pictures, that was a wee bit close.  I find them every now and then.  Sometimes just a splintered stub and pieces everywhere.

Lightning Tracker is a program that plots lightning somehow.  I don't know if it's ground sensors, satellite or both.  Anyway it is being used along with spotter aircraft to find fires.  The tracker plots tell you where to send the plane.  The old fire lookouts are largely replaced by this method.  Only a hand full of old live in lookouts are still in use.  

[leweee]

Thanks Tillaway ... I  was lucky  it never hit the house : From what I've been told the  lightning strike turns the moister in the wood to steam instantly(vaporising) Hence the explosive results. Have seen a few trees in the bush reduced to kindling in my day  but this has to be the closest.