How Lightning Rods Work (and don't)

[deluxestogie]

Competing for the Lightning Bolts

"The image was captured on a summer evening in São José dos Campos [in São Paulo state] while a negatively charged lightning bolt was nearing the ground at 370 km per second. When it was a few dozen meters from ground level, lightning rods and tall objects on the tops of nearby buildings produced positive upward discharges, competing to connect to the downward strike. The final image prior to the connection was obtained 25 thousandths of a second before the lightning hit one of the buildings," Saba said.​

He used a camera that takes 40,000 frames per second. When the video is played back in slow motion, it shows how lightning discharges behave and also how dangerous they can be if the protection system is not properly installed: Although there are more than 30 lightning rods in the vicinity, the strike connected not to them but to a smokestack on top of one of the buildings.​

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Unique image obtained by scientists with high-speed camera shows how lightning rods work

With a high-speed camera and the luck of being in the right place at the right time, physicist Marcelo Saba, a researcher at Brazil's National Space Research Institute (INPE), and Ph.D. candidate Diego Rhamon obtained a unique image of lightning strikes showing details of the connections to...

phys.org

 

[Plinsc]

I installed many “ lightning strike prevention devices” over the years, nothing more than snake oil.
I tried to talk people out of it but most insisted.

 

[SlamFire]

I installed many “ lightning strike prevention devices” over the years, nothing more than snake oil.
I tried to talk people out of it but most insisted.

Surely there must be some way to predict which object is most likely to be struck by lightning? Is the old adage, "electricity always takes the shortest path to ground true"?

 

[deluxestogie]

Have you ever seen a perfectly straight lightning bolt? The energy generates a plasma that follows the path of least resistance through the varying mix of moving air and moisture, ionizing its way along.

Bob

 

[Homegrowngoodnes]

Have you ever seen ball lightning? There was a black walnut tree in my back yard of my childhood home in b Pennsylvania. I witnessed it get struck on two separate occasions. The first simply left a slight singed appearance. Years later, in the nearly identical spot, it was struck by ball lightning and the branch was obliterated at the trunk!

 

[deluxestogie]

What is ball lightning?

www.sciencefocus.com

 

[GreenDragon]

Growing up in Florida, which receives approximately 50% of all lightning strikes in the US each year, I had ample opportunity to observe this particular phenomenon. I've seen lightning arc across the gaps of chain link fences, blow up trees, and fry our TV / Radio / Refrigerator etc. The neatest one I saw was when lightning hit some high power transmission lines that crossed over I-295. I was stopped dead under the lines during rush hour when a squall blew through. When the transmission line was hit, the lightning formed into a bead of blue light that bounced back and fourth several times between the lightning arresters attached to each tower, decreasing in intensity each time. It was both fascinating and terrifying at the same time!

 

[deluxestogie]

Sneak peek:

Bob

 

[chillardbee]

Something neat I’ve seen done which is something I would like to try is calling lightning down during a storm using a rocket and graphite coated thread. I recently learnt that there’s an additive you can add to a solid rocket propellant that will also conduct (can’t remember the name at the moment). However, ideally you wouldn’t want to be near the launch site or holding the launch cable if and when the lightning strikes.
We moved up to the cariboo (central BC) 3 years ago and the lightning storms we get are impressive, much better than where we came from in the Fraser valley. I often have a lightning tracker on during the storms and the closest one we had strike was 150 meters away which was close enough to make an explosion sound rather than the rumble of thunder.

 

[Redleaf]

My closest and most terrifying brush with lightning was many years ago in some desolate hilly country on highway #2 south of Moose Jaw sk. There was a terrific thunderstorm raging, the windshield wipers couldn’t keep the pounding rain off the windshield and frequent flashes of lightning were happening all around. I had the volume cranked on the radio to hear it over the noise of the rain pounding the roof of the car. There was a blinding flash of lightning and deafening explosion all at the same time. As I sat frozen behind the wheel I tried to come to terms with WTF just happened. As I continued down the highway realization set in and it occurred to me that the radio was emitting a high pitched squeal that was near deafening. I stabbed the button to turn it off and began to calm down. Some miles later I was out of the worst of the storm and thought it would be a good idea to turn the radio back on. After I stabbed the button to turn it on I was again terrorized by that high pitched squeal. Another quick stab and blessed silence followed. I drive another 50 or so miles before trying the radio again and it worked just fine then. Too close for comfort !!

 

[skychaser]

My wife and I had just come home from grocery shopping. We were standing at the kitchen table facing out the window. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light and a loud explosion. We were both stunned for 1/2 a second before we realized what just happen Lightning had hit a 100 foot fir tree that is about 5 feet away from the porch. It had followed the tree all the way down blowing a big grove of bark off from top to bottom. It jumped out of the tree into a metal tine lawn rake leaning against the tree. The tines were glowing red and slowly faded back to normal and the landscape bark around it was smoking. If it had happen a couple minutes earlier when we were carrying in groceries we would have been killed, Our poor dog was lucky enough to be standing on the wood porch and was insulated from it. She ran off to her kennel and wouldn't come near the porch for two weeks. The electricity traveled far enough through the ground around to the other side of the house and that it took out the phone line. 3 pm on August 22, 2008. I remember it well! We used to go out and watch lightning storms. After that we stayed in the house!

That is an awesome picture you posted Bob.

 

[HillDweller]

That's a very cool picture.

 

[Homegrowngoodnes]

I used to live just a short jaunt from the Susquehanna River where I often would go to fish. It was supposed to storm one afternoon when I was about 16, and I thought the bite would be on so I trekked a couple rods down to the riverbank. I baited up and cast. No sooner did I sit down it seemed, a bolt of lightning struck a tree nearby and quite a large branch fell not 10 ft from me! As quickly as i could, I packed up and hauled my behind back home!

 

[Chumco]

My wife and I had just come home from grocery shopping. We were standing at the kitchen table facing out the window. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light and a loud explosion. We were both stunned for 1/2 a second before we realized what just happen Lightning had hit a 100 foot fir tree that is about 5 feet away from the porch. It had followed the tree all the way down blowing a big grove of bark off from top to bottom. It jumped out of the tree into a metal tine lawn rake leaning against the tree. The tines were glowing red and slowly faded back to normal and the landscape bark around it was smoking. If it had happen a couple minutes earlier when we were carrying in groceries we would have been killed, Our poor dog was lucky enough to be standing on the wood porch and was insulated from it. She ran off to her kennel and wouldn't come near the porch for two weeks. The electricity traveled far enough through the ground around to the other side of the house and that it took out the phone line. 3 pm on August 22, 2008. I remember it well! We used to go out and watch lightning storms. After that we stayed in the house!

That is an awesome picture you posted Bob.

Well, lightening never strikes the same place twice, right? So you should be safe up in the tree.

 

[deluxestogie]

New York City 1 APR 2023

Bob

 

[Redleaf]

Anyone know which building that is ?
I’ve never been there.

 

[Knucklehead]

Anyone know which building that is ?
I’ve never been there.

One World Trade Center

Lightning Strikes One World Trade Center During Saturday Night Storms

Lightning lit up the sky Saturday night as a line of thunderstorms sped through New York City. The storms started to move into the metro area not long after 7 p.m., marking a noticeable shift from the sunny afternoon and accompanying temps reaching 70 degrees. Bright flashes of lightning erupted...

www.nbcnewyork.com

 

[Brown Thumb]

My 150 yr old barn/ house has lightning rods on it one was mounted on the top of the chimney.
Well one night Mother Nature decided to wake me up, I just about chit myself.
She blasted two layers of concrete block off the chimney.