Weather bureau hit by lightning -- twice

DES MOINES, Iowa, June 30 (UPI) -- Weather service forecasters near Des Moines, Iowa, are thinking about buying lottery tickets after the building was struck by lightning -- a second time.

Meteorologist Jeff Johnson was tracking a thunderstorm Wednesday when a bolt from the sky hit near a cable knocking out his Doppler radar and other computer equipment -- the second time in three years the weather office has been hit by lightning.

"It was a near-miss, or partial hit," said Johnson, who was checked out at a local hospital. "It was enough to make you think twice about it."

"Lightning does hit twice, and we definitely are not immune to it," National Weather Service meteorologist Brenda Brock told the Des Moines Register. "Ironically, last week was lightning awareness week."