Videos: Lightning Hits Radar, Power Transformers

Mar 19, 2012; 3:27 PM ET

The O.U. Prime Radar, a research weather radar system at the University of Oklahoma was struck by lightning at 9:20 AM local time today, as shown by this video of a security camera uploaded by the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma:

Vaisala detected over 14,000 lightning strikes in Oklahoma this morning and early afternoon:

Having examined lightning strike videos up close, and debunked several hoaxes, it does look like the radar was hit. Indeed, the last radar image available was from 9:14 AM. It’s unknown at this time whether or not the radar is damaged; radars are normally protected from damage from a direct lightning strike.

Not only that; in Columbus, Ohio, another webcam witnessed lightning hitting a power transformer (probably one on a pole, I would guess). The video was shot Sunday night by a WBNS webcam:

Vaisala’s lightning detection network detected nearly 10,000 strikes between 4-9 PM last night in Ohio. During the last 36 hours, over 180,000 lightning strikes hit the ground in the U.S. according to Vaisala.

And last (but clearly, not least) @marksregard (Mark C. from the NW suburbs of D.C.) tweeted me some incredible photos from Galax, Virginia on Saturday. Lightning had struck a power transformer box nearby, blowing a hole in it. The telephone and cable box on his house was also heavily damaged. Check out the other pictures for melted copper, blackened plastic, and more.

This kind of lightning damage is not only fascinating (I’ve never seen a photo of a transformer box hit directly), but something familiar to me. Not only have I been within 30 feet of a lightning strike three times in my life; June 17th will be the 25th anniversary of lightning striking my house in the foothills of North Carolina, causing similar substantive damage. I blogged extensively about my experience for the 20th anniversary, so I’ll spare the whole story for now (but look for more info in June).