Odd Lightning Strikes.

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Jan 12, 2008
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Location
Burlington, Kansas
While going through the lightning shots from this year I found a couple of odd ones. These were from the mega storm that lasted for hours the night it killed my backup drives....

This was one of the long lasting (Phasing?) strikes drifting in the storm winds. Click for larger versions.


Another odd one, tight side by side over half way down then split off on a rapid double strike. Even after the split it kept some similarities. I included a large version because it is so close it gives me that blurred optical illusion on the top half.



Edit: Just found some insane birds (had to be insane to be flying that night) in a pic. Upper Right



Have some odd ones? Post em....
 
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08-7-15-6635.jpg


I'm not sure what that is doing exactly. Seems too close to the ground to not be hitting something.




2008_09_29_1188b.jpg


That was slightly cool, reverse discharge coming off all 4 towers by the looks of it.

Full size version of the above...

2008_09_29_1188.jpg
 
That first is odd, that close and no visible contact. I have had them return before getting that close but that one is already in the dirt :)

The second set looks like towers 3-4 were launch points with tower 4 partially returning to towers 1 and 2. So far I have had no luck catching a tower strike.

Nice catches.
 
I take it this was not shot through a window? I have one out my window at home that does that, more so on the side or at the greater angle. I thought it was several bolts at first. Mine all get consecutively dimmer though and yours don't, so I'm guessing this wasn't a window deal. Cool if so. Hank Baker has a sweet very close one showing the same thing. http://www.weatherpic.com/ http://0172186.netsolhost.com/storm/Lightning/4479.jpg Crazy stuff there!

On a tripod but was aimed up while trying to shield it a bit from the rain. I have actually seen it by naked eye before in high wind driven rain. I also had a few hand held ones that do the same but seem to dim as well... :)

The small bolts on Hanks are single like mine as well... I seen a site once with that effect and it had a name but its been a long while back.
 
If there is any wind at all, lightning channels move horizontally with the wind at a pretty good clip as they discharge. If you're close enough, the return strokes will be separated on the exposure like that. You can get the same effect by moving the camera horizontally during the exposure.

The 'split channel' strikes are fairly common. They happen when the gap in time between return strokes is long enough for the lower portion of channel to decay, neccessitating a new stepped leader propagation to ground from some point along the old channel.
 
If there is any wind at all, lightning channels move horizontally with the wind at a pretty good clip as they discharge. If you're close enough, the return strokes will be separated on the exposure like that.
oh, it was close... lol, a lot of them were that night. :eek:

The 'split channel' strikes are fairly common. They happen when the gap in time between return strokes is long enough for the lower portion of channel to decay, necessitating a new stepped leader propagation to ground from some point along the old channel.

I am surprised its that common when out of the many hundreds of strikes I have captured that is the only one like that I have. I figured it was just a lucky catch. :)

Thanks for the info.
 
Well, common being a relative term :) I'd say one out of every 20-30 strikes I see does it, sometimes more. Sometimes it is less obvious if the channel split point is higher up, as in this example where I found four 'splits' to ground.
 
Well, common being a relative term :) I'd say one out of every 20-30 strikes I see does it, sometimes more. Sometimes it is less obvious if the channel split point is higher up, as in this example where I found four 'splits' to ground.

I am not sure we are talking about the same thing. Yes that one has many points to the ground but I meant how mine ran side by side with barely any separation at all till it split. Many of mine split like the example you have shown.

Link to largest size pic.

:confused:

:)
 
In essence they are the same - two separate return strokes following a common path partway to the ground, then splitting. The first CG in this video clip is an example:

http://hdweathervideo.com/hd-inl-111505a.wmv

In the example in the photo you posted, it's the same channel to the 'split' point, only shifted horizontally by wind between return strokes - creating the 'ribbon lightning' effect of separation on the exposure that makes them appear as two separate channels.
 
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