On 27 May 2014, storm chaser Scott Sheppard pulled over near Fairburn, South Dakota, held his phone out of the driver's window to film a thunderstorm, and was hit by lightning on camera. The bolt struck his arm, ran to the ground and blew a hole in the pavement. He walked away with a sore arm, and the clip, posted by SevereStudios, went around the world within days.
What happened near Fairburn, South Dakota
Sheppard and a friend were chasing a storm in western South Dakota when heavy hail made them stop. With the vehicle parked, Sheppard put his left arm out of the window to record with his iPhone. Seconds later the bolt hit, and the footage shows the moment of the strike from his own point of view.
According to the SevereStudios description, "the strike hit his arm and then traveled down to the ground and blew a hole in the pavement." Both his vehicle and a passing car were disabled and had to be towed. Sheppard was left with a sore arm and no serious injuries, as EarthSky and local TV stations reported the following days.
Why a car protects you only with the windows up
The National Weather Service is clear that a hard-topped metal vehicle protects the people inside when the windows are closed. The protection comes from the metal shell, which carries the current around the occupants and down to the ground. The rubber tyres have nothing to do with it.
An arm out of an open window is outside that shell. When lightning does hit a car, the NWS notes, it typically strikes the antenna or roofline, runs through the body and tyres to the ground, and can melt the antenna, knock out the electrical system, shatter the rear window through the defroster wires and destroy the tyres. That is consistent with Sheppard's vehicle and the passing car both needing a tow.
Further information: National Weather Service guidance on lightning and cars
Explore more: lightning filmed over Chicago; a supercell seen through time-lapse.
Related reading: Norefjell’s Bright Forest Flash: A Power-Line Fault.
Video: Storm Chaser Hit By Lightning - 5-27-14 Scott Sheppard (published by SevereStudios).
How powerful a lightning strike is
A lightning channel heats the surrounding air to about 50,000°F (roughly 28,000°C), several times hotter than the surface of the Sun. That sudden heating makes the air expand explosively, which is the thunder you hear.
Most people survive a strike: NWS safety material puts the figure at around 90 percent. Survivors can still suffer lasting nerve damage and other long-term effects, so a sore arm after a direct hit is a very lucky outcome.
Lightning safety for storm chasers and spectators
The NWS rule is simple: when thunder roars, go indoors. Lightning can strike more than 10 miles from the rain, so if you can hear thunder you are within range. Stay inside a substantial building or a hard-topped vehicle with the windows closed until 30 minutes after the last thunder. Film through closed glass or from proper shelter, and keep hands and phones inside the car.
Related reading
- Seven Lightning Photographs: Landmarks, Volcanoes and Exposure
- A Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Strike Near Darwin
- Lightning in Slow Motion: Branches and Bright Pulses
- lightning filmed over Chicago
- a supercell seen through time-lapse
- Norefjell’s Bright Forest Flash: A Power-Line Fault
Sources
- SevereStudios: Storm Chaser Hit By Lightning - 5-27-14 Scott Sheppard
- EarthSky: Two incredible and scary weather videos
- Live Science: Lightning strike hits storm chaser
- WTKR: Storm chaser struck by lightning in South Dakota
- National Weather Service: Lightning and cars
- National Weather Service: Lightning safety
- NWS Paducah: Lightning safety facts (PDF)
- Cover image: illustrative lightning photograph.
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