Lightning Doesn't Play! Some Examples

A lightning strike in Ferrisburgh, Vermont in 
August, 2023. Photo was taken through a windshield
while I was inside a truck with windows rolled up
Much safer inside a vehicle than standing
outside during lightning storms. 

 I'm always amazed at how destructive in strange ways lightning can be. 

We've all seen videos of lightning blowing up trees, or starting forest fires, or setting homes ablaze.

But it's still always fascinating to hear survival stories. They're better than hearing about lightning deaths, right?  

This post might end up making you paranoid the next time you hear thunder. 

Nap Interrupted

A couple weeks ago, a man was taking an afternoon nap in his Ormond Beach, Florida home when the building was struck by lightning. By some miracle, the house didn't catch fire, but the bolt was so strong it caused the ceiling and part of the roof to collapse on him 

Judging from the video, it almost looks like a tornado hit the house, not lightning. It wasn't even storming over the house. The lightning appears to have come out laterally from a nearby thunderstorms and the down on the house.

In addition to the damage to the roof and bedroom, all the electronics in the house were fried, and pieces of roofing tile were scattered all over the pool deck. 

Which proves the adage that if you can hear thunder,  even if it seems like it's in the distance, you're close enough to get struck by lightning. 

Alligator Zap

Now, staying in Florida (Of course!) an alligator farm of all things was struck by lightning this past week. The strike collapsed the largest oak tree in the St. Augustine alligator farm lagoon.  It appears the alligators survived the strike just fine. More importantly, the fencing surrounding the alligator enclosure held, which is nice. 

Somebody commenting on Facebook said whoever has to go in with a chainsaw to clean up the collapsed tree will have an interesting day.  Yeah, glad that's not my problem. 

Streamer Shocked

In another case, a streamer was hit by lightning while viewers watched. 

Luckily, it wasn't that bad, for the streamer and gamer, Chris Howard of North Carolina.  I kid you not, his handle on Twitch is Chrispymate. He's OK.

The electricity went into both the streamer's earbuds while he sat inside his house and caused an audible crackle and flash. The streamer looked stunned, obviously, and he then briefly staggered away. 

He came back on to explain what happened, though his microphone glitched a little, apparently due to lightning damage. The streamer is OK though. 

Electric Avenue

Also recently, a motorist was driving along a highway and filming the storm he was plowing through when lightning hit the vehicle. The video shows that the SUV he was in kept going after the strike, which is remarkable. 

The motorist said the lightning strike also blew chunks of pavement out of the road. 

All these incidents ended with no serious injuries, but remember - to be Captain Obvious here - lightning is exceptionally dangerous. So far this year, 13 people have died in lightning strikes. 

Being in or near water seemed to be the common denominator. Seven of the deaths involved people who were fishing, on boats or at the beach. 

Gators Survive Just Fine In Frozen Over Ponds During Cold Wave

An alligator frozen into an icy pond. Despite appearances,
the alligator was just fine once the ice thawed. 

 One of the many pleasures of living in Vermont is, when you decide to take a nice dip in a pond or lake, or in the winter, go skating on it,  an alligator won't bother you. 

Here's something that gave me just a little bit of pause, however.

It involves alligators in a pond that froze over in Texas during a relatively intense cold wave earlier this month,  There were alligators in that pond. And it turns out, they did just fine. 

Which is worrying, because it makes me wonder whether  alligators can survive our climate changed warmer winters in Vermont just fine. 

Not really, but still. 

The local NBC affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth gives us the scoop: 

"An alligator was seen in a recent TikTok video poking its nose through the ice in a frozen pond at Gator Country, a wildlife rescue center in Beaumont, Texas.

Yes, the gator is still very much alive. It can't regulate its temperature so it survives the icy conditions by going into a state of brumation. Think of it as the hibernation equivalent for cold-blooded reptiles."

The gatos push their noses above the ice so they can still breathe even when the pond is frozen over. As long as their snouts are above water they do just fine. 

Well, I suppose the good news during icy cold waves is the alligator is so lethargic its less likely to regard you as lunch. 

News of other frozen alligators (gatorcicles?") surfaced in North Carolina. Those gators did fine, also, when temperatures warmed in the 70s late last week. 

Video: News video of the frozen alligators. The bonus is how fun the dude is who explains the whole thing to us. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that.