Yet another close lightning hit

[Wolvenar]

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)


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.

[bj]

  That is one tough tree.  Considering the role it seems to be playing Wolv, I hope it lives for a long time.

[DBCollen]

I would put in a good grounding rod at the base of the tree and run a strand of bare 6awg solid to the top of the tree to help carry those strikes.

[rossw]

I would put in a good grounding rod at the base of the tree and run a strand of bare 6awg solid to the top of the tree to help carry those strikes.

I've seen what strikes can do.
I think 6awg will last somewhat under 10% of the duration of the first strike

[tomw]

I've seen what strikes can do.
I think 6awg will last somewhat under 10% of the duration of the first strike

Maybe it will just create a layer of ionized air around it that will carry the spark?

Lightning seems to follow its own rules.

Or not.

Just sayin..

Tom

[philb]

Hey Wolv,

There must be a pot of gold buried under that tree that's conducting all that lightning.

I'm glad your electronics survived.

[Wolvenar]

I found yet another tree hit by lightning recently here..

I am not sure how recent this was, or for sure it was lightning, but looks pretty much like the ones I know have been hit. 

[Wolvenar]

At least most of our trees are still standing.
Most in this area have been destroyed by the strait line winds from the storm on the second, and now 3 ore waves of similar stuff in the last couple days.
Almost acting like aftershocks of an earthquake.

[RichHagen]

I suspect that if you get a large strike at 30ft from your house you are going to take some damage to your electronics and electronic circuitry. 

A lady where I work had an old Oak tree at the edge of her parents yard.  It got struck and split, and the strike, either emp or fingers of current, took out some of the electrical outlets and circuits in the house wiring as well as the fridge and some other electronics. 

Lighting struck my grandmother's house many years ago and started a small fire on the living room carpeting there.  Fortunately she was there at the time to put it out.  She is gone now, but I don't recall that any of the electic or electronics were damaged in that incident though. 

I worked one summer while in school at a park district, and several trees were struck by lighting there that summer.  I recall thinking it a bit unusual that all of the trees struck that I saw were Oak trees, particularly pin oaks, of which there were a bunch in that large park. 

I am not certain if taking that tree out would make your home more or less likely to be struck or damaged by lighting. 

[DBCollen]

"I've seen what strikes can do.
I think 6awg will last somewhat under 10% of the duration of the first strike"

The lightning rods we had on our house in New Hampshire had #6 solid wire from the rods on the roof to the grounding rod array. We got hit at least once a year, you could always tell which rod took the hit because the green tarnish on the #6 was replaced with clean blueish copper until it tarnished again.