Lightning kills man beneath cloudless sky

[Herman Munster]

http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/147572.html

With no rain or even clouds to warn him of the danger, death came literally out of the blue Thursday to a self-employed landscaper. The killer was a powerful bolt of lightning that cracked through perfectly clear skies.

David Canales, 41, of West Miami-Dade, was on the job at a Pinecrest home when the bolt hit. It first seared a tree, then traveled and struck Canales, standing nearby.

Experts said Canales was killed by a weather phenomenon fittingly called a ''bolt from the blue'' or ''dry lightning'' because it falls from clear, blue skies. He was pronounced dead at South Miami Hospital.

[soothsayer]

1. Dayum.

[northzax]

2. sometimes your number comes up

and when it does, it does. Has anyone seen Zeus around lately?

how sad.

[jobycom]

4. Yeah, but it's even worse when you are standing by a tree whose number has come up.

Wow.

[Sequoia]

3. So, there really is such a thing after all.

[B3Nut]

9. Yup, a positive cloud-to-ground (CG) strike.

They can travel many miles from the actual thundercloud. They pack one HELL of a punch, as this hapless soul unfortunately found out. :(

Nearly every thunderstorm produces at least one positive CG stroke, severe cells can produce several during their lifespan.

Scary and deadly, but intensely fascinating...that's what storms are, at least to geeks who love earth science. :)

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

[Dr.Phool]

5. It happened a couple of times in the Clearwater area a couple of years ago.

[Javaman]

6. Damn, now I'm worried....

I just got back from the cardiologist and he said my chances of getting heart attack were less then getting hit by lightening on a clear blue skied day.

:scared:

[jobycom]

7. Go to godhateslandscapers.com for the 411. nt

[Ezlivin]

8. If lightning can strike and kill anyone, there are few people I'd like to see struck

I'm just sayin'....

[berni_mccoy]

10. PICS and NOAA link

From: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pub/ltg/crh_boltblue.php

[BurtWorm]

11. His last words: "May I be struck dead if I'm lying."

:hide:

[nonconformist]

12. Damn, what shitty luck

Very sad.