Metallica Ride The Lightning

This video is a slide show of lightning storm pictures backed by Metallica's Ride The Lightning song, there are some really awesome pictures in the video. LINK: Youtube

The Formation of a Lightning Bolt

(YouTube link)

This video of a lightning bolt was filmed at 9,000 frames per second. The entire minute-and-a-half video covers less than two seconds of real time. Is this cool or what? -Via: Dr. Isis, Via: Neatorama

Venezuela's Everlasting Storm

image credit

The Catatumbo Lightning is an atmospheric phenomenon in Venezuela. It occurs strictly in an area located over the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it empties into Lake Maracaibo.

The phenomenon is a cloud-to-cloud lightning that forms a voltage arc more than 5 km (3.1 miles high during 140 to 160 nights a year, 10 hours a night, and as many as 280 times an hour. Via: The Presurfer

Lightning strikes three of the tallest buildings in Chicago at the same time!

Three of the tallest buildings in Chicago get struck by lightning at the same time. Willis Tower, Trump International Hotel and Tower, and the John Hancock Building.

Music: Sufjan Stevens - To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region. LINK, Via: Vimeo

Lightning strikes over Venezuelan town half the year

A tiny and desperately poor fishing village has one fascinating draw for tourists - lightning storms light up the sky more than 160 nights each year.

Dubbed the Catatumbo Lightning, the weather phenomenon has no known cause. Scientists theorize that it could be caused by wind blowing off the Andes mountains or high levels of methane gas in the area.

A meteorologist with the Venezuelan National Air Force said the frequency of the storms isn't the only oddity. "The Catatumbo Lightning is over 90 percent cloud-to-cloud lightning," said meteorologist Ramon Velasquez. He said the storms can last all night.

"Elsewhere in the world, the duration of the storms is not more than one or two hours, however in Catatumbo, the storm begins at approximately 7 or 8 in the evening and goes on until 4 or 5 in the morning of the next day," said Velasquez.

There is a bit of tourism, but locals in the town of Congo Mirador said they hope the weather can help bring needed money. Nereida Noguera, head of Tourism for Congo Mirador, said the government hasn't done enough to entice tourists.

He said tourism money could help the residents escape dire poverty. "The lightning can be our treasure, that can lift us," said Noguera. LINK, Via: Youtube

The sound of rain w/o music

Love this video. I always wait for nights like this to fall asleep to. LINK: Youtube

At Gizmodo Gallery 09: Singing Tesla Coils

Don't pretend like you're too cool for lightning. Especially lightning that makes music. This is why you'll want to hop the first train out to Giz Gallery '09 and check out the mindblowing singing Tesla coils we'll have on display.

ArcAttack is the six man crew who makes this technological spectacle possible, and in addition to the two music making Tesla coils in their performance, they also have a robotic set of drums and a guy walking around the coils in a chain mail Faraday suit. And there's LIGHTNING. LINK, Via: Vimeo

Storm Over Frankfurt

Watch as these guys capture a lightning storm a little too close for comfort. LINK: Youtube

Lightning over Clearwater Beach

A huge storm cell that stretched across a broad area of Central Florida produced a lightning show late Tuesday afternoon. At its peak, the storm produced about 1,000 lightning strikes every 15 minutes, mostly in the Gulf. Times photographer Jim Damaske captured several impressive strikes from a vantage point near the Clearwater Memorial Causeway bridge, looking across the harbor toward Clearwater Beach. LINK

05/15/09 Incredible Tank Battery Explosion from 200 yards away! Lamesa, TX

While shooting some ENG/stock footage last night of a tank battery fire near Lamesa, TX that was ignited by lightning, an explosion took place that sent a foot and half long, 4" diameter pipe valve from 200 yards away arcing directly into the front of my storm chase vehicle causing extensive damage.

This is closer than you EVER want to be to an explosion!

Firefighters from Lamesa and Andrews, TX fought to keep the fire down and the tanks cooled off for an hour before it finally exploded. Miraculously, all managed to escape without injury! LINK: Youtube

Lightening Images

LINK: Presurfer
15 Spectacular Lightning Images.

Struck by Lightning

A golfer is struck by lightning on the links and his heart stops. Hear the tale he lived to tell... LINK: Youtube

Amazing moment the world's biggest Christ was struck by lightning

Heavens above: The statue is struck during Sunday's storms:


At 00:34am on 13th February 2008
This was the dramatic scene as the world's largest statue of Jesus was hit by lightning.
The bolt parted the thunderclouds over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to strike Christ the Redeemer.
The statue is 130ft tall, is made of 700 tons of reinforced concrete and stands atop the 2,296ft Corcovado mountain overlooking the city.
It was named one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.
Sunday's storm caused havoc in Rio, felling trees in several neighbourhoods - but did not damage the statue.

This amazing photograph gives whole new meaning to the phrase "May God strike me with lightning if..." LINK