A Fine, Thin Line Of Lightning

This picture is really cool and comes by way of Tim Nessler, who captured a photo of a tree after it was hit by lightning during yesterday's storms on the campus of Philadelphia Biblical University in Bucks County.

Lightning doesn't necessarily slice a tree in two, topple trees over, but it does leave its mark as the intense heat generated by lightning will help sear the bark off of a tree in the path of where the lightning travels.   The trees you see on the left managed to survive quite well compared to many other examples of trees that get zapped by Mother Nature.   Trees are more frequent targets for getting struck by lightning, in part due to their height, but in some cases certain types of trees have a higher electrical discharge (pine needles for instance) than others and makes them a more inviting target.  Trees aren't a good spot to be hanging out near during a thunderstorm, especially if you are on a golf course.  


Between 1998 and 2008, Pennsylvania had 13 lightning related deaths, tying it for 10th on the list of most fatalities among the states.   Florida, which is the most lightning prone place in the US, had 74 deaths in that time period while Texas had 28.


More:  Lightning Safety Tips (NWS) | Tree Struck By Lightning (youtube)