AdamHLG

Posting this here so as to not clog the severe thread. This is regarding the direct strike at my house last night I mentioned in the severe thread. I figured I would write my report. We are all weather enthusiasts and extreme weather is in our blood, but you need to play it safe! I saw our cells rolling in on RadarScope and was checking the forum for posts in the 45 min leading up to it. I went to sit on my front stoop with my dog for a few minutes watching a very distant light show through the trees in the night sky and the long delayed slow rumbling thunder. It was very peaceful in the still humid air. I was checking RadarScope to see if it would hold together, and to my surprise, it was. When I saw a trending and emerging pattern of multiple lightning strikes on RadarScope in Carroll County, I knew the moment it hit the Baltimore County line - or - the WSW was issued - that would be my personal indicator to head inside. 3 minutes later both triggers happened simultaneously, and that was that - time to go in. I knew there would still be 20 minutes or so until the show was to begin - but I like to play it safe. It was about 25 min later and we saw a few relatively close 'flashes' through the windows and then the crack of thunder 3 or 4 seconds later. I knew at that point this really was "for real" and we were now in 'the 'zone' - not that a direct strike would actually ever happen - but knowing in theory that it 'could actually happen' was in my mind. About 3 minutes after that I was standing in the kitchen and my wife sitting on the couch and "FLASHBANG" it was a blinding light and instantaneous explosion. I screamed "WOAH...." and I was frozen in my steps. My wife jumped off the couch freaked out. It scared the **** out of both of us. She finally said "I think that hit us" and after my initial frozen shock (so to speak - but I did not electrically feel the jolt), I started immediate damage assessment like on a submarine movie. I immediately went to breaker box in the basement to check for fire and any tripped breakers (first step - check for hazards and this offers clues). No fire or odor but sure enough 2 breakers flipped - one for garage and one for upstairs bedroom. Quickly finished initial primary assessment in basement and headed to bedroom next - noticed various TV and power out on some outlets, but no other hazards or odors. Attic assessment would require ladder - that would need to be last. Finished remainder of upstairs primary assessment and next to garage via first floor level with no hazards evident along the way. Entered garage and immediately notice no power, odor of electrical burning, and moderate haze in the flashlight beam. No active fire. Initiated 911. Continued the assessment in the garage and located the outdoor landscape lighting transformer which had exploded. FD arrived and we initiated full secondary assessment of attic, walls, interior, exterior, with thermal imager checking for heat. It was at that point a firefighter tells me it must have come right down the tree and entered your house at the landscape lighting. I ask "why do you say that?" He says "you didn't see the tree?" And that's the moment I learned what got struck. No further hazards were found on secondary assessment. FD cleared after 40 min. Still assessing the actual interior damages and currently drafting the repair matrix. Thanks for listening to my experience!

This is the truth !! I am posting additional comment in the banter thread so as to not clog this thread.

Entry point into the house

I live in a warned area earlier tonight in Chestnut Ridge area Baltimore County. My property took a direct strike tonight - split a massive tree in our front yard and split it down the center. The charge got picked up by our landscape lighting and entered the house and blew up the lighting transformer in my garage (during initial damage assessment there was a haze in garage and 911 was initiated. FD came out and secondary search found the transformer blew up and blackened the wall (that was the haze) , took out 2 GFCI outlets that are now blinking red and dead, my main network switch is dead , a raspberry pi Homebridge computer is dead, my main tv is dead , and I still haven’t finished damage assessment. . Massive tree and its branches down in my yard. Pics when I get internet back I have half a bar. Nobody injured. I was siting on front steps 20 min earlier listening to very distant thunder and saw all the flashes afar and on RadarScope (while cells still in Frederick / start of Carroll). I had some time but then the TSW was issued so I came inside well in advance. Never - ever - expected a direct strike. Holy **** was that scary. The tree 25 feet away. I have a little ptsd about it and new respect for lightning (not that I ever didn’t have it - but wait till I post the tree and transformer tomorrow. That was closest strike of my life with property damage on top of it. . Severe lightning direct hit unlocked. I can be done now.

After nailing the “friends and family” forecast all day, now I’m getting texts that I was wrong and were “going to get tornados”. SMH. This is a thankless hobby.

I would say that was no Accident - but based on the Facebook post it appears it was.

You can have a dark theme by using this board via TapaTalk and TapaTalk Pro in the app stores. Then search for our site. Then set that app to dark mode.

1993! Let's do it. This is our year.

Let me guess. It is a WWA until 3" on the ground with rates - and then it becomes a Warning. I have seen this movie before.

Winter Weather Advisory Northern Baltimore County? Tell me that is fake news :---(

O wow. You know… we did have pinhole leaks years ago in our copper pipes. A whole bunch over the course of a few years. Like 10 years ago. Now I’m wondering if that was related to PD1 PD2 and 2009-10 etc. I never even thought of that !!!

Interesting. Im not sure how it is affecting my well, but ironically we need to add salt to our water to soften it. But that’s pure rock salt. Not sure what is in the actual chemicals they put on the road but I’m sure they’re not buying the big bags of rock salt at home depot like me.

Just a smidge over 4”. Absolutely will take.

1996 was my first winter online when I found the first internet relay chat and the Blizzard of 96 was my first online storm. It was different back then. IRC was a scrolling live feed like a ticker tape. If you walked away for 30 min you had to scroll all the way back. About 30 min before the first flake I remember someone posted “2.8 inches of QPF!!!!! I see it but I can’t believe it”. And then it happened. And I was hooked.

Can confirm. Ive been here since #neweather on Internet Relay Chat.

profit! Hello, my old friend!

What camera / lens ? Very nicely done. May steal your tiny snowman idea sometime. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Great work.

Ok because I’m OCD the 1” record is officially over IMBY. It’s also snowing nicely ! This is a win. Been too long.

Day 717 of the 1” snowless record. Excited to break the streak today! Almost there.

Everyone said last week we needed to clear the weekend systems before we got a real look at today and Friday - and how bout that - we cleared the weekend systems and now the models picking up on it again. It is only Monday. Maybe just maybe the original idea of a warning criteria storm will start the trend today.

I love that I know and understand weather and that as I stand in boog’s bbq line and watch people in bright sunlight that I am part of the 5 out of 100 people on average that knew to bring sunglasses when it was raining all day …. Until now.

She's still pretty far south on the satellite loops and has a while to come north - as in all day long and night while.

Wife : “when are we going to lose power?” omg the struggle is real.

What are the odds it is showery and breezy and causes someone to post the tipped over lawn chair that says "we will rebuild"?