Lightning... EXTREME CLOSEUP... LOL

Ok, so we were on a storm... which were few and far between over the past couple of weeks. I saw this thing swoop in from above but as I was near the van I didn't see where it hit. Luckily someone caught it...

AWESOME!!!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOB7OfdRwtI

I'll be sorting through all my pics and footage at some point...

I really don't want to come home on sunday... *sigh*

Wow. Almost dont look real where did it hit? Looks like it was literally in front of the camera!

Ping, that seems so unrealistic, I can't begin to describe!! ...

I have been within a few meters of a lightning strike and it is a total whiteout, leading me to believe that footage it a total fake!!

I can see there are prbably different levels/ferociousness of strike, but having experienced one close-ish, I really think that is totally fake the energy involved to make a strike go from all the way from the ground to the clouds is immense!!

Seriously what camera wouldn't just blot out with a true strike that close??!

Oh and have you been in the states (or is that 'strailia??) then???

I missed ya!!

Ah, the expert has spoken.

I was there. I saw the strike, I heard the gunshot and crackle instantaneously with the strike. I saw everyone on the hill near it freak and charge back to the vans.

The footage was checked on the journey to dinner and shown at the table after the chase. No time to fake it. We were in Texas at the time, so yes, I am in the USA.

I dunno if you missed the bulletin but I'm here storm chasing.

Greek - judging by the footage it touched down on or near the road. It wasn't far and the noise was immense. Was fan-fooking-tastic. That was an amazing day.

One Word..............Cooooooooool!!

Wow!!!!!!!!!!

Bet you're having a great time!

I hate you...

[Bluepete]

Love that Ping! Really gives an idea of the energy, hearing the crack like that! I took a load of pics a few years ago from my bedroom window of a storm;

Sweeeeeeeet.

Originally Posted by Ping

Ah, the expert has spoken.

I was there. I saw the strike, I heard the gunshot and crackle instantaneously with the strike. I saw everyone on the hill near it freak and charge back to the vans.

The footage was checked on the journey to dinner and shown at the table after the chase. No time to fake it. We were in Texas at the time, so yes, I am in the USA.

I dunno if you missed the bulletin but I'm here storm chasing.

Greek - judging by the footage it touched down on or near the road. It wasn't far and the noise was immense. Was fan-fooking-tastic. That was an amazing day.

As I said, the ferociousness of a strike might vary, but if that was a few feet away, that seemed really weak (as I said, I HAVE been near a lightning strike before, but that was in the UK, it was a proper 'thumper' that destroyed a tree and frightened the carp out of me as a kid ) I have never been in a tropical storm where I think the humidity is higher so you will not need the same sort of energy to cast a bolt I suppose) So on that point I am suspicious, but not totally dismissing it.

So next point, if that was supposed to have landed/cast in the road right in front of you, the 'clap' would have been essentially instantaneous. Sound travels at ~350 m/s; if that was 3.5m away, that 'clap' would have been ~1/100th second later. I haven't actually tried to stop-watch it as it doesn't really matter, but you gotta agree, there seems to be >0.01s elapse between the strike and the clap in the footage

I was also trying to catch it mid-strike to see what direction the lightning flowed, but the camera was not fast enough.

Ping, if you saw it for real for yourself, then I am sure it happened, but for conspiracy theorists like me, a few things just don't seem to add up

Hope you are having a great time out there anyway, sounds like a really cool thing to be doing

Oh and just to be pedantic this statement is technically inaccurate ...

Originally Posted by Ping

I saw this thing swoop in from above but

I'd have thought the first thing any 'storm chaser' knew is that lightning travels from the ground up or the clouds down (there is actually a little tooing and frowing before it builds the charge IIRC), it happens so fast, there is no way you could have know which way it traveled when it finally flashed