Lightning Strike
The first half of summer has been hot and wet. Smoke from the Canadian forest fires has made it safe to be outdoors. Last night we had quite a thunderstorm. A tree in the cemetery was hit and burst into flames.
Ka-Boom
We knew we were in for a storm when the skies darkened yesterday. You could feel it coming on. A large purple blotch showed up on the radar screens and it headed our way.
There were some impressive flashes and booms, but we never lost power. The rain was heavy with frequent flashes of lightning. I learned that a tree had been struck at the nearby cemetery. I checked it out today.
https://flic.kr/p/2oR7eqT Lightning Strike to a pine tree at the Smithville Cemetery in New Ipswich, NH
The Pine was the target not the Oak
Surprisingly it was a pine tree which was struck while the oak to the right was unscathed. Oak trees are the most common target of lightning strikes because they are taller, have more moisture in the bark and have greater contact with the soil as anyone who has tried pulling up a seedling can attest to.
https://flic.kr/p/2oR9Jzs Charred and toasted
The strike set the pine tree on fire and the fire department was called to extinguish the flames. Perhaps it had been struck before and the charred surface of carbon offered a conductive path for the strike.
This Oak was hit
The oak at the cemetery was spared during the storm but the same could not be said of an oak tree at my friends house on Page Hill Road. They heard an explosion as this tree was struck. The intense heat causes the sap to be instantly converted to steam and the tree literally exploded. Splintered wood was hurled out across their lawn. They were grateful that it hit the tree and not the nearby barn.
https://flic.kr/p/2oRy9Tn Page Hill Road, New Ipswich, NH - July 2023
Mid-Summer
The storm cleaned everything out. Today was warm and dry. The smoke was gone, the sky was blue. After I walked back from the viewing the tree, I noted that we are already moving into the Mid-summer season. I saw the first Joe-Pye weed blossoms and noticed that the first of the Goldenrod blossoms. I'm hoping this weather pattern continues for a few more weeks for our vacation. So far it has not been the best of summers weather-wise.
