Trying to calm down right now.

Been running on adrenaline for a while now.

Lightning hit my house. Twice.


First time, it hit the roof. zap-ting!

I thought, well, that was unusual. Kind of amused.

3 or 4 minutes later, lightning came right through the window and things exploded! BOOM!

No longer amused.


The power was off at the time, so it took a while before I could figure out what got damaged, and what didn't.

It killed my internet.

"Sploded" the modem.

Fried the cat5 cable.

Also killed at least part of the computer.

I'm just glad this laptop wasn't plugged into anything.



Right now, I am sitting here on a very very old modem. Completely insecure. On the laptop. Just not the securest environment.

I ordered a new modem from frontier. (free. or at least supposed to be.)

I'll buy a new cat5 cable today.

But what hurts is that it looks like I'll have to replace the computer.

Tried just using a card for the ethernet. Didn't work.

Then, the video stopped working, as well.

I really don't like using this laptop and very old modem, for anything like banking, paying bills, etc.




I need to find something to eat. Take my insulin. Then go to town.

Get the cat5 cable.

Maybe a network adaptor that goes from cat5 to usb, and has the network adaptor built in.

If that works, I still have to figure out if there is anything else wrong with the computer.

Took that network card out, and the video started working again. So I am hoping that was just a conflict with the card.

I just need the desktop PC to work.

sounds like you need professional help

and don't forget to buy a lotto ticket, or two

You leave my mental health out of this!

I actually thought about getting a lotto ticket, yesterday!

Talk about a death ray from above!

It almost sounds like it hit your cable connection, either near the junction box or where the hardware enters your house. I have some experience with a similar situation and it did a ton of damage. If you haven't already checked your home's exterior, might want to take a walk around just to see if there's anything else worth finding.

Glad you're OK!

Good thing your tinfoil hat was off today.

I'm wondering the same thing. It very well could have vaporized when the first strike happened.

I hadn't thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense.

I'll check.

Thanks, guys.

holy crap, glad you're ok though! the thought of lightning hitting my house makes me crap my pants geeze....twice??

Sorry to hear that Jeff! Holy smokes, twice? Go play the lotto.....NOW!

Actually, a good ground will make lightning strikes more likely.....

Lightning actually reaches up from the ground at the same time it comes from above. The ground path/lightning rod actually help conduct electricity to the shortest path.

The lightning rod both increases the likelihood of a strike but makes the strike less damaging as it gives a path of least resistance for the electricity to follow...

Your telling of 'roof first, then through window' completely falls in line with a good ground path, followed by residual charge in the surrounding earth causing another strike, but without a good ground path the second time around, hence the window and trying to find the least resistance to ground. I'm betting you'll find the (usually insufficient) wire running to the ground rod vaporized.

I agree that a FULL inspection of all wiring, grounding, cabling,etc is in order.. Lightning is one of those things that people don't fully understand how damaging/powerful it can be....

One of my earliest memories, when I was probably 4-6 years old, was seeing lighting blast our big pine tree 20' off our back bay window of our house.

I was sitting on the dining table, that's how young I was. Sister and her friend were in the room. We were watching the storm out the back window.

Our large pine tree had a nail in it, and for some reason there was a steel pipe planted in the ground next to the tree. Not sure what the lighting hit, but I think it was drawn to the nail. Lighting was huge flash and boom, light up the entire room of the house and I initially remember thinking the lighting went through the house (it did not).

The damage to the tree was significant. It blew a huge chunk out of it. And there was a visible line of burned white pine sap up the tree for as far as you could see. Tree lived for another 2 decades actually. I think it was cut down by future owners of the house.

A few years later, a nearby strike blew out our ($400) VCR, TV, and some other electronics. From that, I learned that when I live in storm-prone areas, to unplug electronics when not using, and to not use them during big storms. In some states, this was pretty regular to have huge lighting storms, and my appliances and electronics were frequently unplugged.

Even if the lightning doesn't hit directly it can still do a lot of damage

I had lightning hit in front of my house once. There was a sewing machine in the front window that started running full speed. Fried a bunch of the motor wiring

Since we're on this subject, anyone know how they ground (or how they SHOULD ground) a house on top of a lightning-prone mountain?
I brought this up to the builder since we're putting a tin roof on....
Lightning rod? or...?

The idea is to give the lighting a path to travel.

The bigger the path, the less it strays trying to find a better path.

By grounding the roof (and grounding it well), you make the house a lightning magnet, but you also provide a discharge path through the lightning ground path instead of through your sat dish/cable/house electrical,etc.

Kinda like a bullet resistant vest... You're still gonna get fucked up if you get shot, even wearing one, but it'll minimize the risk and damage the bullet does...

Umm where are the pics?