Kapppowwww !

Um... Ow?

I had the dubious pleasure once of witnessing lightning strike a power transformer directly overhead. I was "gutter surfing", which is an activity where you find a quiet street with high (10-14 inch tall) curbs, on a steeply sloped road, during a heavy downpour in the summer. Basically, you lie down in the gutter and let the water carry you downhill and downstream, just like a water slide (but without having to pay admission to a water park). When the lightning struck, I and several friends with me all felt a rather strong jolt as the electricity dissipated through the water in that same gutter. It was cool, frightening and painful, all at once.

I've been in a house struck by lightning when I was living in London. We were in the living room on the top floor. Just up on the roof is a metal barrier for safety as we used to hang out on the roof during the summer. There was a massive bang just like in that video and I literally leapt out of my seat. We thought it probably hit the barrier which is why I mention it. Scary but exciting too.