I have seen lightening that close many times over the years, but the worst was a beautiful evening in Nevada where I called my two favorite girls to 4-wheel up into the hills to watch the sunset. When we left there was some storm activity far to the south, but based on my eleventy billion years of experience those few scattered bolts would strike far to the south and not come anywhere near us. Once we got high into the hills, gods wrath quickly encompassed every square inch around us, it was stunning how quickly we became engulfed....now understand I drive a 1966 landcruiser that the top has not been on since 1999. We abandoned ship for a brief time in the sudden tempest trying to find a safe place on foot to weather the storm. Within seconds a bolt hit closer than any bolt I had ever seen (and I have seen many bolts nearby throughout my life), the pure white light turned our corneas red, and the crack and the light were simultaneous, and all of our hair despite being drenched to the bone stood out straight up, with not a single strand touching any other. That bolt was felt. We all rushed back to the landcruiser and headed down the mountain side in rivers of water as fast as we could at all costs drove through the flash floods in the river washes in the valleys at the bottom while marveling at St Elmos fire. To this day every time I can see that hill (which is perfectly visible from US395), I remember that night