This year we have had way over the number of lightning hits than our normal.
Many of these are hitting the new HV power line top line meant to help dissipate and ( hopefully) prevent damage.
We never used to get near this many close hits before that power line. However we have this one tree 30 odd feet from the house that never seems to make it a year without getting hit at least once.
It has always survived these so they aren't terribly high powered hits, but just as the tree seems to get its bark healed it gets hit again.
I know in the last 10 years I have been keeping track, it has been hit most every year, and twice this year.
Well every time this happens it plays havoc on our electronics no matter how well I have grounded things, maybe just the EMP?
The last time it shut down my inverter, this afternoon it locked up a network switch took me a few minutes to discover what was going on so the site was likely not responding until I had power cycled that switch..
It is hard to see the scale of this in the image which I took in rain and near complete darkness with exception of the lightning
( Yeah I
am nuts)
![](http://www.anotherpower.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=20708&g2_serialNumber=5)
This new split is a bit over an inch wide and is quite deep. I'm beginning to wonder with all it's fractures if it might be a fall hazard to the house at this point, let alone it attracting lightning. but better the tree than my house/panels.
It is.. or rather was a pretty tree despite what its been through..
I'm not sure if its been hurt bad from this hit yet.