While ranting about my current car woes in this thread I mentioned in passing that being struck by lightning would be an improvement.
Fast forward to a couple hours ago. A small storm cell passed south of here, close enough that we got a little shower. After it passed I went back out to the driveway to continue working on some outdoor projects. About five minutes later, under a clear blue sky, lighting hit a tree about 20 feet from me, dropping a large branch and creating quite a noise and a decent shockwave. It was close enough that I felt a little electricity go through me. A few of the household electronics were fried as a result.
Truth be told, it's not the improvement on my car problem that I was hoping for. Disappointing, really. Maybe it just wasn't close enough.
Wally
MegaDork
6/17/13 2:08 p.m.
Be careful crossing the street please.
ransom
UltraDork
6/17/13 2:19 p.m.
Well, fair enough. I figured you meant instead of your car issues, not in addition to...
More seriously, 
Hope your household electronics aren't too annoying/expensive to get sorted, and glad you didn't fried!
Change yor underwar and get back out there!
Is there a lottery ticket in your future?
And I would stay out of the ocean. There are sharks looking for you now
Woody
MegaDork
6/17/13 2:56 p.m.
I was standing under a tree that was struck by lightning. As I recall, it's not as cool as it sounds.
I've already been back out and finished my work. I also discovered pieces of the tree thrown about 30 feet or so by the blast. I have to say it's pretty interesting to feel the shockwave that close to the point of origin and the hear the thunder rolling away from you.
No lottery tickets for me, thanks. Maybe if this happens again I'll consider it; I know what lottery odds look like.
Glad to hear you're all right.
whenry
HalfDork
6/17/13 3:30 p.m.
Lightning hit a tree next to my driveway yrs ago. Sitting in the driveway was my tow vehicle with race car on trailer locked and loaded to leave for race weekend the next day. Lightning ran under the trailer frying its electricals, killed a cat that took shelter under the rig and wiped out the various electronic equipment in the den ie tv, stereo component system, AC system and a few other stuff on that end of the house. You could see the furrow that it dug in the ground until it met the concrete driveway. Dont mess with lightning.
A few years ago I was about 30 feet from a tree in our backyard when it got hit, and I was looking that way when it happened so I got to see the bright pink lightning wrap down the tree. It blew a huge piece out of the side of the tree and you can still see the spiral pattern down the trunk where the lightning traveled.
It was the loudest thing I have ever experienced.
Glad you're OK! A few years back I was standing in the door of the Garage Majal and lightning hit a tree back in the woods maybe 75 feet from me. Everything went white and the bang happened at the same instant. The funniest part: when the lightning hit my neighbor across the street had been doing something in his yard which involved an electric drill, when I looked over at his house immediately afterwards the drill was laying on the concrete. 
Go buy a Powerball ticket right now!
Something I will never forget.
Lightning hit a big maple tree right across the street.
Split the trunk in two. But that noise is what I remember.
cwh
PowerDork
6/17/13 5:47 p.m.
My wife's nephew has been hit by lightning three times and lived. But the boy ain't right in the head now.
I heard lighting hit a tree two blocks away. It is one of the loudest noises I have experienced.
Everybody be glad you aren't this guy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Sullivan
It was plenty loud, though I've heard louder; certain types of gunfire and a B-1B taking off at full burner and close range both top this for pure decibels.
On the plus side, I dug out an old router and got a replacement cable modem, so I'm back online. In addition to the router and modem, one computer got fried - probably through the network cable, since it was the only one not on wireless, and everything else was surge-protected - along with my flatbed film scanner, and the garage door opener still works but is acting wonky. Not too terrible all things considered.
Oh, and I found more fragments from the tree further out, about 50 feet away from it. Good times.
gamby
UltimaDork
6/17/13 7:34 p.m.
Woody wrote:
EastCoastMojo wrote:
It was the loudest thing I have ever experienced.
^Yes
I mistook it for a plane crash at the end of my street when it happened near me. 
Was reading a story on sailnet of a daysailer that got hit at mooring... the writer was on the boat next to it. The Daysailor eventually sunk. No doubt the lightening blew a hole through the hull
