I caught a positive streamer on cam today

[Meatpie]

I was filming a lightning storm today on the balcony and caught a positive streamer on my cam in the neighbours' back yard.

You could hear it making a buzzing sound waiting and trying to connect to the step leader coming down from the storm cloud.

Luckily it didn't connect otherwise I could have been burnt, blinded and definately deafened by the shockwave, the positive streamer was just a few metres away.

It's a myth that lightning strikes the tallest object.

I strongly advise CDG members to be careful when there is a lightning storms, strikes are totally unpredictable you think you are safe and next moment you are toast.

 

[stustustugoo]

very very cool.....................

 

[Meatpie]

I am scared. We have tall buildings around the house with lightning rods on the roofs yet it streamed from the neighbours back yard.

The human body can also produce positive streamers making your hair stand on end, literally and by the time you realilze you are in mortal danger it's too late, you are toast.

 

[stustustugoo]

yes, it can be a dangerous thing indeed
but very beautiful

 

[PiercedChest]

WOW exciting Meat! Never saw that so close by.
Odds are very small: the chance of being struck by lightning for an average person is only 1 in a million: crossing a street and getting killed is more likely.
And there's little you can do anyway: only safe place is a car (or any other Faraday cage).
But this is spectacular! When a globe lightning rolls around in your bedroom please take a pic as well!

 

[Meatpie]

the chance of being struck by lightning for an average person is only 1 in a million: crossing a street and getting killed is more likely.

There are fatalities from lightning in Bulgaria every year majority of victims are usually caught in wide open spaces like soccer fields & pasture.

What do you think is best to do during a lightning storm?

 

[PiercedChest]

There are fatalities from lightning in Bulgaria every year majority of victims are usually caught in wide open spaces like soccer fields & pasture.

Yes, and many more road kills every year, making traffic a lot more dangerous than thunderstorms.

What do you think is best to do during a lightning storm?

Stay indoors. As you say the open spaces are most dangerous: even if a bolt of lightning strikes like 10 meters away from you in the open, you can still die from the current entering one foot and exiting the other, stopping your heart (that's how many cattle get killed in meadows). Lightning rods on buildings carry the charge off without setting fire to the buildings, which might otherwise happen, but I've never heard of persons getting injured when they are indoors. Cars are very safe too (electric charge cannot enter the interior of a conductor: Faraday cage).

BTW you said the streamer in your photo "luckily didn't connect", but I think it actually did. There's a clear bolt visible, which is caused by the current ionizing the air molecules, causing them to emit light. As far as I know, the channel that forms from cloud to ground does start at both ends seeking each other out, but I think you can't see it until the two connect and the discharge takes place. But maybe I'm wrong here. Did you hear a loud bang?

 

[Meatpie]

BTW you said the streamer in your photo "luckily didn't connect", but I think it actually did. There's a clear bolt visible, which is caused by the current ionizing the air molecules, causing them to emit light. As far as I know, the channel that forms from cloud to ground does start at both ends seeking each other out, but I think you can't see it until the two connect and the discharge takes place. But maybe I'm wrong here. Did you hear a loud bang?

The step leader connected to a positive stremer a few blocks away, I have it all on video. The thunder was instant and powerful but at least some distance from me otherwise I would have been knocked out, I am absolutely sure.

I could hear a hissing sound from the positive streamer nearest to me just like when you are near a high voltage electricity cable.

It all happened in a split second.

I have caught other close lightning strikes on video, check this one from August 2010:

 

[PiercedChest]

The step leader connected to a positive stremer a few blocks away, I have it all on video. The thunder was instant and powerful but at least some distance from me otherwise I would have been knocked out, I am absolutely sure.
I could hear a hissing sound from the positive streamer nearest to me just like when you are near a high voltage electricity cable.

Very exciting MP, and great video.
Just don't fly a kite in that weather like Benjamin Franklin did (wonder how he survived!).

 

[Meatpie]

In his writings, Franklin indicates that he was aware of the dangers and indeed several other people who tried to repeat his experiment with the kite did get electorcuted.

He probably used some kind of insulation.

 

[Smitty]

Nice shot!