Glad that Danny is recovering and in good hands. I hope he is starting to feel better by now. That article is the first update I've heard since the news broke on Facebook, and wow was that the actual bolt pictured there? You can see some HP supercell structure in the background including the RFD core, updraft base, updraft tower, and inflow band. Danny last posted on his Facebook wall that they had a mothership at 6:29. The storm went tornado warned shortly afterwards and the bolt probably occurred not long after that post as well.
Lightning is an extremely dangerous and ever present hazard for storm chasers. I know several members on this forum have been struck, but does anyone have any stats on that? I'm sure we're all much more likely to be hit than the general public. This particular event had some really prolific lightning, including positively charged lightning striking well ahead of the updraft base from the anvil region. These are the much stronger, longer lasting bolts that are much more dangerous than the more common negatively charged lightning, especially since they often strike further out from the storm where people are more likely to be standing outside.
We had some really rich moisture in the low levels with dews in the low 70s and very high precipitable water values greater than 2. It seems like you get a lot more CG activity on days like this, probably due to the water content and makeup in the updraft. I started the chase looking for tornadoes, but it almost became a lightning chase by the end, the bolts were so numerous. Lightning really, really spooks me, and August 31 was a day where the ground was like hot lava to me. If I had to get out and do anythign I was quickly tip toeing around the van and then diving back inside. I heard the powerlines crackling a couple times too.
A few bolts near Bennett, Nebraska:
A positive strike I got on video:
You can see the characteristic smooth channel and beaded breakup.
