Great storm !

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Well, lost another Gallagher fence charger this morning :cry2:
We have had bad weather predicted for last night and today, so before it hit this morning I went out to heat check cows. I took our dogs out with me. As I was walking though an empty pasture to get to the pasture where the cows were, there was a great flash of light and a loud crack! The dogs yelped after the crack and jumped in the ditch and refused to come out. Then there was a loud, REALLY loud thunder roll. I kept calling the dogs, thinking I could not leave them, and all of a sudden I heard a loud roaring sound. I looked east (where the storm was coming from) and there was a black wall of rain!!!! We all took off running for the house, and got hit hard! In just a few minutes, .26 inches of rain fell hard and fast!!! We were soaked, and I looked at the rain gauge just to see how bad it was. It stopped just about as quick as it started, and I headed back out to check the cows (the dogs did not want to go with me this time!). I noticed the fence was not snapping when I dropped it to go in. So, after checking the cows (no one in heat), I headed up to check the box. It was fried! All I could think was "I am lucky I did not get hit!". Obviously, it hit the fence and fried the power box. At least we had a back up, and I pulled the fried one off the wall and put up the new one, but we were pulling half the jewels, so I think there might be a broken wire. I did not have time to check (I teach at the college today, so I had to go!). When I get home, I am going to have to walk the fence to see where the wire got hit and do some repairs....
But I am thankful for the rain!!! Just got the daylights scared out of me!!! :shock:

 

[Jogeephus]

I bet your dogs felt the charge. If you get close to where lightning is going to strike the hair will stand up on your body from the positive charge. I experienced this once and its very understandable why and animal would be freaked out. I know I was and I didn't even know what was happening I just knew it wasn't good.

 

[greybeard]

Glad you made it back to the house safely with just the loss of a charger.
I got hit hard while working on a fence when I was about 15 in a pouring thunderstorm--my Dad wasn't the kind of man to hear excuses when he left a chore for us boys to do. It hurt!!

 

[cowgirl_jenna]

I know its rare to be struck by lightning, but I'm terrified of it. We have had lightning strike a tree and follow the telephone wire and blow the phone up in our house. It seems that these last few years the lightning is more "severe" with more strikes, around here anyway. Glad you and your dogs walked away OK. I always worry about our cattle when theres a bad lightning storm, knock on wood we havn't had a problem but...
Jenna

 

[I luv herfrds]

Hubby had that happen once while out haying Jo. He hit the deck.
We have had some really close hits. Nothing worse then having 2 kids and 3 dogs all trying to crowd up on your lap.
Seeing the flash and the boom at the same time sets your hair on end too.

 

[Jogeephus]

That's a scary feeling when your hair stands up like that. At first you look at it and think, COOL, but then you don't know what to do where to run. Must be about like what a deer feels like when he's standing in your headlights.

I got hit by lightning years ago while I was in the rafters of a barn trying to locate a leak in the roof. Thankfully I was on the wooden rafters and wasn't grounded. Lightning hit the top of the barn and all I remember is seeing a bright light. It was as if I was engulfed in plasma or something. I woke up on the ground and for several minutes my body was tingling all over like it had been short circuited or sent into the Twilight Zone.

 

[I luv herfrds]

I was in a motel years ago when lighting hit the phone box 2 doors down. My room was #13.
My room mate about hurt herself laughing over how high I jumped. I still don't like lighting to this day.

Was out fighting a fire with a thunderstorm near us. We thought it was past until that one bolt lit up the whole area. Who knew you could balance on a #2 shovel. I got a few looks over that one.

 

[Dave]

One time years ago when I was falling timber, I was on the top of a ridge when a lightning storm blew through. I was on top of the tallest point of land for miles around. There were very few trees left standing. Lightning struck down in the draw along side and actually below me. And here I was standing on top wearing a tin hard hat, caulked shoes, and packing a chainsaw with a 36 inch bar. Way too much steel to attract the lightning and all of it connected to me. It didn't take me to long to lose the saw and the hard hat. I crawled back into a hole between a couple rocks and waited for that storm to pass.

 

[Jogeephus]

I would have done the same. I don't like anything that will bite you that you cannot see. Electricity and sharks scare the crap out of me.

 

[HOSS]

I once had a run in with lightning......white lightning made by some ol' Georgia boy out of blueberries. That struck me so hard it knocked my shoes clean off. I didn't come around till late the next morning and boy did I have a headache :mrgreen: :cowboy:

 

[Dave]

I once had a run in with lightning......white lightning made by some ol' Georgia boy out of blueberries. That struck me so hard it knocked my shoes clean off. I didn't come around till late the next morning and boy did I have a headache :mrgreen: :cowboy:

That "White Lightning" can be the most dangerous kind of lightning. There is virtually no defence against it.

 

[Anonymous]

You haven't experienced lighting until you're 30-90 miles out on the ocean in a 20-30 ft boat and you can hear your fishing rods start vibrating over the sound of the engine while the rods are in the rod holders that are up high. Then the water actually starts dancing. Drops come OUT of the water in a reverse rain. And then you feel a slight charge on the stainless steel steering wheel.
That's always fun

 

[john250]

Grandad was driving a team of mules in the '30's when a strike killed one of the two. His descendents tend to head for shelter early in a storm.

 

[Caustic Burno]

We had a lighting and thunder display here all night long. All the Parmak's still running this morning.
We got 1.89 inches last night, sounded like the place was being bombed.
I had a graphite rod one time out on the bay that went to swinging. We decided it was time to hook it back to the dock.

 

[I luv herfrds]

My grandfather was riding with his best friend in North Dakota when lighting struck and killed his friend. The force threw him into the ditch next to the road and pretty much wrecked his knee. He never liked lighting either.