A bad day...

[Al Agnew]

I suspect the closest I have come to being struck by lightning was in Montana.  Three of us were fishing a high country lake from an aluminum drift boat, when a storm approached.  We were just beginning to debate heading for the bank--the storm didn't appear to be too close yet--when suddenly we noticed that when we'd make a cast with the fly rod, the line would just kind of hang in the air a long time  before slowly settling to the water.  And then we noticed our hair was standing on end!  We rowed to the nearest bank and bailed out of that boat in a BIG hurry!

[Greasy B]

thank goodness I haven't had my hair stand on end but I do recall a strike so close I could smell it.  

[jim m]

1959 was camped at lead hill on bull shoals with my father. in a cancas tent and the flap was tied to a big oak tree. that night lightning split that tree and sent splinters of wood thru the tent. not a pleasant way to be woken up

[Stein]

Not hazardous but recent - when we had the big storm Friday night/Saturday morning in Bull Shoals the lightning hit the transformer right behind the house.  Both my buddy and I saw the flash while sleeping through our eyelids and it was incredibly loud.  Lost power for a few hours.  Unfortunately it killed my well pump motor controller.  Had to meet the well driller in Mt. Home to get another one.  Good thing he had one on the truck.  $165 later I'm in business again.  Just as well happen the one week I'm down there otherwise who knows how long it would have taken to diagnose the problem.  Smelled very ozone-y in the basement that morning.  No other damage, fortunately, but we did lose the entire morning's fishing.