He also wrote about it on his outdoors blog for the Eagle. It’s a good read.

The lightning bolt struck a broadcast tower that is shared by a group of stations called DTV Utah. The blast knocked all of the stations that use the tower off the air, except for a FOX station that has its own tower not far from the one that was hit.

The affected stations remained off the air for about an hour.

It was fascinating to see the storm blossom out of seemingly nowhere. Within minutes, the lightning intensified from quick flickers in the clouds to many large, bright bolts down to the ground.

What amazed me was how many people were still walking the dog or going for a jog in northwest Wichita even as large lightning bolts were clearly visible perhaps a mile or two away.

Jack Huber shared these lightning shots from his home in southwest Wichita, looking north and east of his back porch.

There have been 63 people killed and another 208 injured by lightning in Kansas between 1959 and 2008. While April, May and June see the most tornadoes in the Sunflower State, the most dangerous month for lightning is July. That’s when 15 fatalities and 51 injuries have been recorded.

I checked with Dave Freeman, KSN’s chief meteorologist, and here’s what he told me:

“The instruments that schools have as part of the KSN WeatherLab Network, powered by WeatherBug, are absolutely top notch, accurate and reliable instruments.

That said, sometimes variables like instrument placement can cause measurements to be different than surrounding areas. And, of course, there are occasional times when a sensor goes bad and needs to be replaced.

We work hard to support all of our KSN WeatherLab Network school partners in properly placing their instruments, and in maintaining them.”

I guess the bottom line is, take the WeatherLab readings for what they are: reflections of conditions at a particular location for that moment in time. If the thermometer provides readings that are consistently higher or lower than surrounding areas, keep that in mind when hearing the latest reports.

The Wasatch is a rugged mountain range that separates Salt Lake City and Park City and was featured in the 2002 Winter Olympics.

I thought of that phrase Saturday when I saw families heading for the swimming pool or the ball park even as thunder rolled above.

According to the Web site, 16 people have been killed by lightning and another 179 have been injured around the country. That includes one death in Kansas and another seven injuries.

Lo and behold, a “freak storm” in Vienna, Austria, with winds clocked at 87 miles an hour and heavy lightning, had disrupted the worldwide telecast of a soccer tournament many consider second only to the World Cup. Lightning strikes caused disruptions in the signal, officials said, which prompted the master-control room to reboot.

The bottom line for fans watching the match around the world is that they missed seeing the Germans take the lead late in the match and Turkey tie it up again with just a few minutes to play. The live feed had been restored by the time Germany scored a dramatic late winner to earn a berth in Sunday’s final.

Two people were seriously injured after being trampled as crowds gathered in Vienna to watch the match on large outdoor screens fled the severe weather.

The Union of European Football Associations, or UEFA, promises to have better back-up systems in place to prevent recurrences for today’s second semifinal featuring Spain and Russia, as well as Sunday’s championship match.

As I read descriptions of the storm, it reminded me of so many late spring and summer thunderstorms that have rolled across Kansas this year — and in so many years past. They apparently don’t see too many storms like that in the Alps.

Here’s the formula, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Severe Storms Laboratory:

When you see the lightning flash, start counting the seconds until you hear the thunder. Every five seconds equals a mile. Divide the total time by five to learn how many miles you are from the lightning.

If it’s 30 seconds or less, suspend all outdoor activities and seek safe shelter. That means the lightning bolt is 6 miles away or less.

If it’s 15 seconds or less, a lightning strike could occur where you are. That means it’s no more than 3 miles away, and from that distance a bolt can arc and hit anywhere within that radius.

There’s also a “30-30 Rule” worth remembering, the NSSL reports. If you hear thunder by the time you reach 30, you are in danger and need to find safe shelter immediately. Wait at least 30 minutes after you see the last flash of lightning or hear the last roll of thunder before resuming outdoor activities.