by MHM
24 October 2018
There
are many destructive forces of nature, but lightning can be one of the most
terrifying since it can strike over wide areas throughout most of the year.
Conductive lightning has even been recorded in volcanic ash clouds and in snow
storms.
When I was a young lad, I remember an approaching storm during an outdoor event on Fort Meade, Maryland in the mid 60’s where everyone was hustled into a gym. Within minutes, the storm blew in and we were inundated with some terrific lightning strikes. After the storm had passed, a large tree several feet in diameter had been split down the middle and toppled over. My dad said it had been hit by lightning.
During my time in the Air Force, we ceased tech ops whenever lightning was within five miles. However, lightning can hit dozens of miles away from the source of the storm.
When I was a young lad, I remember an approaching storm during an outdoor event on Fort Meade, Maryland in the mid 60’s where everyone was hustled into a gym. Within minutes, the storm blew in and we were inundated with some terrific lightning strikes. After the storm had passed, a large tree several feet in diameter had been split down the middle and toppled over. My dad said it had been hit by lightning.
During my time in the Air Force, we ceased tech ops whenever lightning was within five miles. However, lightning can hit dozens of miles away from the source of the storm.
One fine outing in the Adirondacks in the mid
‘80’s led us near Tupper Lake, with some canoes rented from MWR on base.
While the weather was fine for most of the weekend, early Sunday morning the
weather started to turn for the worse. We gathered up our gear and began to
quickly paddle the mile or so back to our vehicles. Within minutes, a
thunderstorm was upon us, and we made our way to a small island, beached the
canoes, and threw a tent over us as the rain fell and lightning struck all
around.
One of my relatives was affected by a nearby lightning strike while golfing, and while he wasn’t seriously injured, he suffered from the effects for days, saying the jolt affected every nerve in his body.
In 2017, I was driving around town running some errands. While stopped at a light, I heard a sizzling noise which seemed to descend from the clear blue skies and overhead electrical lines. A split second later the intense blast of a lightning bolt hit close by. It did not strike my vehicle, and I didn’t see the bolt hit (but did see the flash, and nearly jumped out of my seat from the report). Thankfully no one in the vicinity was struck. When I arrived home, I looked at the weather map and the nearest storm cell was over 40 miles away.
I’ve seen some pretty spectacular storms in the deep south, one cell about 50 miles to the west produced a sudden lightning spectacle which, in a microsecond, came east in the shape of a funnel and branched out like a spider web (remember the ‘80’s arcade game “Tempest”?).
From a historical perspective, one Viet Nam LRRP team was struck by lightning in close proximity to an NVA camp in August 1969. The bolt had hit close by, enough to destroy equipment, detonate at least five claymores facing out, while severely injure team members. Thankfully, all team members survived the bolt and blast, and were able to radio an exfil chopper, lifting out of the jungle just as the NVA came bursting into the LZ. 1
One of my relatives was affected by a nearby lightning strike while golfing, and while he wasn’t seriously injured, he suffered from the effects for days, saying the jolt affected every nerve in his body.
In 2017, I was driving around town running some errands. While stopped at a light, I heard a sizzling noise which seemed to descend from the clear blue skies and overhead electrical lines. A split second later the intense blast of a lightning bolt hit close by. It did not strike my vehicle, and I didn’t see the bolt hit (but did see the flash, and nearly jumped out of my seat from the report). Thankfully no one in the vicinity was struck. When I arrived home, I looked at the weather map and the nearest storm cell was over 40 miles away.
I’ve seen some pretty spectacular storms in the deep south, one cell about 50 miles to the west produced a sudden lightning spectacle which, in a microsecond, came east in the shape of a funnel and branched out like a spider web (remember the ‘80’s arcade game “Tempest”?).
From a historical perspective, one Viet Nam LRRP team was struck by lightning in close proximity to an NVA camp in August 1969. The bolt had hit close by, enough to destroy equipment, detonate at least five claymores facing out, while severely injure team members. Thankfully, all team members survived the bolt and blast, and were able to radio an exfil chopper, lifting out of the jungle just as the NVA came bursting into the LZ. 1
During the 1960’s, several nuclear weapon laden
aircraft were struck by lightning, ranging from transport aircraft avoiding
thunderstorms (one fireball followed the hoist rail down the middle of the
C-124, missing the weapons), while other more serious incidents included strikes on ground alert
B-47’s, and strikes near missile sites that resulted in actuation of tritium
reservoirs in the warhead (due to intense heat pulse, not any functioning of
the fusing and firing system). 2
While those killed by lightning have numbered under a hundred every year since 1975, the damaging effects of lightning should not be overlooked during your excursions outdoors. Seek shelter immediately, and follow the guidelines spelled out on the National Weather Service site.
Suggested
Reading-
1. “Eyes Behind the Lines: L Company
Rangers in Vietnam, 1969” by Gary E. Linderer. Linderer has a series of books
on Rangers in Vietnam, highly recommended for those interested in small unit
tactics.
2. “Broken Arrow, Volume II- A Disclosure of
US, Soviet, and British Nuclear Weapons Incidents and Accidents, 1947-2008” by
Michael H. Maggelet and James C. Oskins.
Further reading/viewing-
Lightning
Safety Tips and Resources-
Technical
aspects of lightning-
mhm
Old School Survival (OSS) blog
24 October 2018
Old School Survival (OSS) blog
24 October 2018
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