Re: Close lightning strike and strange tick (fwd)

["High Voltage list" <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Steven Roys <sroys@xxxxxxxxxx>



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:56:53 +0100
From: Mike Harrison <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: High Voltage list <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Close lightning strike and strange tick (fwd)

On Sun, 8 Jul 2007 15:11:28 -0600 (MDT), you wrote:

>Original poster: Steven Roys <sroys@xxxxxxxxxx>
>
>
>
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2007 11:14:06 -0600 (MDT)
>From: Chip Atkinson <chip@xxxxxxxxxx>
>To: hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Close lightning strike and strange tick
>
>Greetings,
>
>I was out walking yesterday with my gf and experienced a really strange
>phenomenon. Lightning struck fairly close to where I was so that the
>thunderclap was about .1 second after the flash.  The amount of time
>separating the flash and boom was long enough that you could notice a
>delay but not really any longer.  My .1 second estimate is based on the
>fastest I could start and stop a stop watch.
>
>But anyway, the most interesting thing was that simultaneous with the
>flash was a weird "tick" sound.  It was kind of like a "plasticky" tick
>like you flipped a plastic dinner plate with your fingernail.  I know 
>I wasn't imagining anything since my girlfriend heard the sound too.  She
>also felt that it was pretty much simultaneous with the flash.
>
>Any ideas anyone?
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
>Chip

You don't say what else was in your vicinity at the time - my guess would be that the strike induced
a high voltage inside some metal object nearby, which sparked over, and you heard this spark. 
 
I also wonder if a very strong EM discharge could induce some false sound directly into the nerves
of the ear?