Strong lightning strike destroys New Zealand radar
An unusually strong lightning strike disabled a radar in Westland, New Zealand, on Sept. 18. MetService New Zealand posted a photo of the destroyed radar dome on Facebook, saying that repairs will prove to be complex, and the radar is likely to be offline for an extended period.
A lightning strike damaged a radar in New Zealand this week. (MetService)
The strike, a 156-kiloamp strike, was five times more powerful than the average lightning strike in the country. It overwhelmed the grounding system that would normally transport the electricity safely to the ground, and instead melted and burned the radar's protective dome, in addition to damaging equipment inside.
Radar domes are routinely struck by lightning worldwide. This particular radar was also struck by lightning in 2022, but the dome sustained only minor damage.
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