Boomshackalack

Wow... last night we had yet another thunderstorm. It seems to be getting to that time when a week wont go by without one, so I really shouldn't report all of them... unless it's bigger and better than the previous biggest and best one! Plus I'm running out of song titles with reference to 'Boom' in it. It was 3am, so this one woke us up. It was right over us. The flashes lighting up the bedroom through the blinds were so constent it was like a disco. And the thunder rattled the windows it was so loud. It was kinda scary to be honest! Bit like a roller-coaster... very cool, but nerve wracking! I really thought a house or something nearby was hit. Or atleast the street lamp across the road as it went out. We had two power black outs through it - the second time was during when J was resetting her alarm clock from the first time it was reset! Obviously I wanted to video it, but given the hour I wasn't able... plus I wasn't totally comfortable about leaving the bed! Jaz (the cat) was meowing furiously at the bedroom door, so I let him in and Bailey who happened to be standing there too, must have heard us talking. Jasper didn't know what to do. Normally during a storm he hides under a table, bed or chair and doesn't move until it's over... but I don't think he could find anywhere he thought was safe! Bailey couldn't careless however. I watched out of the bedroom window for a few minutes and forked lightning was coming down on the horizon (the same horizon that I got the picture during that first storm) about every 15 - 30 seconds with flashes coming from other direcrtions too. At about 3.30 the cat decided he wanted out of the room and the storm started to go away, it seemed and we got back to sleep. At about 5am more thunder woke me up, but I didn't stay awake.

Today there are reports on the news about the storm, confirming that it past over South Charlotte, where we live and about some homes that we struck by lightning, one of which was hit directly on it's gas pipe and blew a good portion of the house up! ... and it was only a mile away! The local fire department calls the area down Highway 51 'Lightning Alley'! This road is just around the corner from where we live (infact we're nearer to it than the house than the house that was hit) and it's the first time we have heard the area have this nick name!

I'll never leave the house during a storm again.

Couple's home destroyed by lightning Strong storms rolled through the Charlotte area Thursday night, knocking out power to thousands and sparking at least one house fire in south Charlotte. Lightning struck a home on Painted Tree Road and destroyed it, but a couple and their five dogs were able to escape. [News 14 Charlotte]