Tower Lightning

[Charles Allison]

Going through some old pics and found this shot where lightning is hitting 5 towers at the same time. These are the towers located on the NE side of OKC. I took this shot back in 2000.
[Broken External Image]:http://www.oklahomalightning.com/Pics/12.jpg

 

[Doug Raflik]

While not nearly as impressive... here is a picture I took of lightning hitting a tower.

Doug Raflik
http://www.wxnut.net

[Broken External Image]:http://www.wxnut.net/elec30.jpg

 

[Glenn Rivers]

Is it just me, or does tower lightning often apear to have much lower peak current then CG's in general. Does the thunder from these tower CG's sound different or not as loud as many other CG's in the experience of those who have observed tower lightning from close up?

 

[Charles Allison]

Originally posted by Glenn Rivers
Is it just me, or does tower lightning often apear to have much lower peak current then CG's in general. Does the thunder from these tower CG's sound different or not as loud as many other CG's in the experience of those who have observed tower lightning from close up?

I have notcied there is not much thunder with these tower strikes. The day I shot the photo above I was only about a 1/4 mile away and there was a little thunder but not much. Most people know when a CG hits the ground a 1/4 mile away, it will let you know . :lol: http://www.video.oklahomalightning.com/Close1.wmv

 

[Chris Sokol]

I have some great video of reverse lightning coming off of the television towers in NE Oklahoma City. The first time I saw this occur, I thought that I was seeing things!

 

[Dave Crowley]

Isn't that actually a time exposure? I don't think it's hitting all 5 towers at one moment...

 

[Charles Allison]

Originally posted by Dave Crowley
Isn't that actually a time exposure? I don't think it's hitting all 5 towers at one moment...

I was shooting that day before it got dark so I had to use really short exsposure times, usually those towers will get hit in burst all at once and then there will be several minutes before they get hit again. The shot below is one I took in May of 2000 and it 3 getting hit at once.
http://www.oklahomalightning.com/Pics/13.jpg
He is an old crappy video clip of those same towers getting zapped by 3 at once:
http://www.video.oklahomalightning.com/tower1.avi

 

[Dave Crowley]

Sweet shots either way!! Being a lightning vet myself, I was being a bit sarcastic Charles, as you know.

 

[Dave Crowley]

I meant to add this to the previous reply, but here is one of my favorite shots, about a 30 second exposure if I recall. I have several more, but this is a better one

[Broken External Image]:http://stormguy.com/towershot2.jpg

 

[Dave Crowley]

Originally posted by Glenn Rivers
Is it just me, or does tower lightning often apear to have much lower peak current then CG's in general. Does the thunder from these tower CG's sound different or not as loud as many other CG's in the experience of those who have observed tower lightning from close up?

The thunder seems different with dendrite lightning, than with a CG. The tower strikes tend to yield about the same level of thunder as a CG, unless it emits from the tower, then it's a bit more subdued, rolls more...

 

[Charles Allison]

Originally posted by Dave Crowley
Isn't that actually a time exposure?

I did not catch that the first time I read it. :lol:
kind of like when you get:
"Wow you probably have to be really fast to take lightning pictures"