Illinois Family's Car Struck by Lightning

The Lightning Strike that Killed My Electronics

It popped up on my Facebook memories page that last year we encountered a lightning strike right next to my home. It hit a tree, went down through that tree, through the ground and came up another tree. It was so close to our house that it fried our wifi and since that strike, one by one, all of our electric appliances have died.

I remember the flash of light and then the clap of thunder that came after was deafening. It shook our entire house. And then we found pieces of the trees everywhere - including a big sharp chunk sticking in my window screen.

Ashley s

Ashley S

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Illinois Family Survives Lightning Strike in Their Car

It was absolutely terrifying. I can only imagine what one family in Illinois went through this past week when lightning struck their car.

The Williamson County Sheriff Department posted that lightning struck a family's Ford Edge as it was traveling along IL-13 in Williamson County. Thankfully, the family was unharmed.

The three family members were uninjured and reported hearing a loud gunshot-type noise while traveling. The vehicle immediately filled with smoke after being struck.
The lightning strike disabled the vehicles electrical system, exploded the rear bumper and exhaust system which was scattered in the roadway, and left a visible hole in the roof of the vehicle. -Williamson County Sheriff’s Office

What is Lightning?

According to NOAA, lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere. Most lightning strikes start within a cloud. They go on to say that tall objects are more likely to be hit by lightning. A lightning strike travels at 270,000 mph and the temperature of the lightning reaches 30,000 °C - that's five times hotter than the surface of the Sun. There are an estimated 3,000,000 flashes every day so there's a good chance you've been pretty close to one at some point in your life.

How Well Do Cars Protect You From Lightning?

This family had a very close call but NOAA goes on to say that a car is a safe haven during a lightning storm

"The outer metal shell of hard-topped metal vehicles does protect those inside a vehicle." They do warn that the windows need to be closed to protect the occupants.

I was curious to see if I could find any videos of lightning hitting cars ,and I did find a couple. It's absolutely terrifying. Watch!

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