Lightening

By CONNIE MERTZ

This summer has been quite a season for severe thunderstorms. Our immediate area has been fortunate, for we watched the worst of the storms go to our east and south. Hail destroyed corn fields, wind down bursts uprooted trees and three inches of rain within an hour wasn’t uncommon. We escaped with a few raindrops and a brisk wind.

A week ago, we were witnesses to a lightening storm. Constant, brilliant lightning filled the darkness, and it was eerie to say the least. It was reminiscent of a destructive tornado which hit our area in the mid- 1980’s. Our rural home is surrounded by pines and towering maples. We’d have no clue if a tornado was heading for us—especially in the middle of the night!

Despite the severe storm warnings for our county this summer and the heavy rains that eventually pelted our backyard, it was nothing compared to what happened at 2:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. Without any warning, without distant lightning or a rumble of thunder, there was a huge snap followed by the largest rumble of thunder I have ever heard. Since I had heard the familiar “snap” of lightning, I identified it immediately. Others in the area were not so lucky. Awakened out of a sound sleep, their first reaction was that it was a tremendous explosion.

We assumed it hit one of our trees, but the sound was very widespread. Even at PPL’s Montour Steam Electric Station, six miles from our home, the “explosion” was heard loud and clear above the plant’s roar. No one knows yet if or what the lightning struck, but it was a stark reminder that lightning does whatever it pleases.