Lightning + tree = steam
 

These aren't photos of the lightning itself, but 12 images of a tree
near work after Thursday evening's thunderstorms.

A lightning strike had removed two long lengths of bark on different
sides of the tree, and a small patch near the ground opposite the first
two. More than a little wood had been ejected too and thrown some
distance: splinters up to five feet long were scattered across the field
for around a hundred feet as well as shards of bark, many with
characteristic fraying at the ends.

Various IT systems within 600 yards 'weren't at all happy' at this
event, though most were ok after a restart. My pc swore at me when it
started the next day, showed me a cmos setup screen and thought it was
2001. I can't say I blame it.

Link with irresponsibly large image files:

http://users.bathspa.ac.uk/annm1/lightning/

Link with webby sized image files:

http://users.bathspa.ac.uk/annm1/lightning_web/

Lightning + tree = steam
 

"Mark Annand" wrote in message
et

These aren't photos of the lightning itself, but 12 images of a tree
near work after Thursday evening's thunderstorms.

Nice pics.

Thanks.


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

Lightning + tree = steam
 

On Fri, 02 Sep 2005 22:28:04 +0100, Mark Annand
wrote:

These aren't photos of the lightning itself, but 12 images of a tree
near work after Thursday evening's thunderstorms.

A lightning strike had removed two long lengths of bark on different
sides of the tree, and a small patch near the ground opposite the first
two. More than a little wood had been ejected too and thrown some
distance: splinters up to five feet long were scattered across the field
for around a hundred feet as well as shards of bark, many with
characteristic fraying at the ends.

Various IT systems within 600 yards 'weren't at all happy' at this
event, though most were ok after a restart. My pc swore at me when it
started the next day, showed me a cmos setup screen and thought it was
2001. I can't say I blame it.

Link with irresponsibly large image files:

http://users.bathspa.ac.uk/annm1/lightning/

Link with webby sized image files:

http://users.bathspa.ac.uk/annm1/lightning_web/


The picture with the barbed wire shows some blackening of the wire,
also the "scar" ends at the barbed wire, suggesting the discharge
jumped to the earthed wire.

Lightning + tree = steam
 

JPG wrote:

On Fri, 02 Sep 2005 22:28:04 +0100, Mark Annand
wrote:

These aren't photos of the lightning itself, but 12 images of a
tree near work after Thursday evening's thunderstorms.

A lightning strike had removed two long lengths of bark on
different sides of the tree, and a small patch near the ground
opposite the first two. More than a little wood had been ejected
too and thrown some distance: splinters up to five feet long were
scattered across the field for around a hundred feet as well as
shards of bark, many with characteristic fraying at the ends.

Various IT systems within 600 yards 'weren't at all happy' at this
event, though most were ok after a restart. My pc swore at me when
it started the next day, showed me a cmos setup screen and thought
it was 2001. I can't say I blame it.

Link with irresponsibly large image files:

http://users.bathspa.ac.uk/annm1/lightning/

Link with webby sized image files:

http://users.bathspa.ac.uk/annm1/lightning_web/


The picture with the barbed wire shows some blackening of the wire,
also the "scar" ends at the barbed wire, suggesting the discharge
jumped to the earthed wire.

I saw a tree hit near where i live. The oak must have been 200 years
old before it was killed by a lightning strike.

--
--
zaax

Lightning + tree = steam
 

In uk.sci.weather on Sat, 3 Sep 2005 at 21:45:00, zaax wrote :

I saw a tree hit near where i live. The oak must have been 200 years
old before it was killed by a lightning strike.

Must have been *some* bolt!

You'd have thought that trees that live as long as oaks do, would get
hit several times in their life.
--
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham

Lightning + tree = steam
 

On Sun, 4 Sep 2005 06:58:27 +0100, Paul Hyett wrote:

I saw a tree hit near where i live. The oak must have been 200
years old before it was killed by a lightning strike.

Must have been *some* bolt!

You'd have thought that trees that live as long as oaks do, would
get hit several times in their life.

Well there is being hit and being hit... The recent photos are fairly
typical of a decent strike hitting a tree. The sap explosively boils
and blows the bark off.

I wouldn't be surprised to see that tree dead within a year or so. The
winter damp and the dormant period just around the corner, time enough
for disease and rot to get into those wounds.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

Lightning + tree = steam
 

"Mark Annand" wrote in message
et...
These aren't photos of the lightning itself, but 12 images of a tree
near work after Thursday evening's thunderstorms.

A lightning strike had removed two long lengths of bark on different
sides of the tree, and a small patch near the ground opposite the first
two. More than a little wood had been ejected too and thrown some
distance: splinters up to five feet long were scattered across the field
for around a hundred feet as well as shards of bark, many with
characteristic fraying at the ends.

Various IT systems within 600 yards 'weren't at all happy' at this
event, though most were ok after a restart. My pc swore at me when it
started the next day, showed me a cmos setup screen and thought it was
2001. I can't say I blame it.

Link with irresponsibly large image files:

http://users.bathspa.ac.uk/annm1/lightning/

Link with webby sized image files:

http://users.bathspa.ac.uk/annm1/lightning_web/

I have similar photos of a Scotts Pine hit last year in the Highlands. The
tree consists of two main trunks and there is a clear point where the scar
ends on one trunk and appears on the opposite trunk where the lightning must
have jumped across.
I was interested as to why the scar ran in a spiral round the tree rather
than straight down. Bark was scattered up to 50 feet away and there was a
clear hole in the ground where the strike had earthed at the base of the
tree.
The tree is about a quarter of a mile from the house, but the blast still
managed to frazzle the modem of my PC!

JP