Lightning versus tree: lightning won

Last night's thunderstorm was one of the worst I've witnessed in Putrajaya. Even though my washing was under a covered patio, I had to carry it all in as the wind was blowing the rain sideways.

While doing that, I saw a big tree hit by lightning. It was so fast that I could not even blink. It was so bright and so loud that the sound ringed in my ears for some time later. This was 05:00 in the morning. 

When I went to work this morning I saw the tree just exploded. Chucks of its trunk was all over the road. I was told that the current effectively boil the sap so fast that it caused the tree to explode from within.



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