turning my system on during lightning storms

Lightning never strucks GPX - it always chooses the most expensive system in the area!

It is true that the grounding rod only prevents the static discharge issue. Also, it probably protects you from your insurance company if they claim that your negligence of putting up an antenna caused lightning to strike your house. A direct hit will take everything out. A neighbor had his house burn down when the lightning strike fused the circuit breaker box and the wiring fried through the walls and the house was fully involved. lesson? unplug everything, and insure it!

Direct lightning creates plasma about 1 foot in diameter and there is no wire in the world to bring it to ground, but if it gets one of the smaller "branches" it might protect as long as wire is thick and does not have sharp angles (short time = high frequency). I have tall street lamps around my house working as grounding rods. Not grounded antena migh appear taller than street lights (or trees).

Kijanki, your comment about the plasma ball reminds me of a time I was driving in Tennessee during a thunder storm. I was approaching a corner and witnessed a lightning bolt strike a tree. It was probably 40 yards ahead of me. What I saw was a big orange ball engulf the base of the tree when the lightning struck. It was a truly awesome sight.

Timhru - I experienced horrible thunderstorm in the mountains when I was young. I remember people closing windows and talking about plasma/fire ball that can move horizontally and come thru the window - scary.