MD80 ACFT ON FINAL APCH HEARS PRECEDING ACFT RPT WINDSHEAR ON SHORT FINAL AND RPTR FLC SEES LIGHTNING STRIKE CLOSE TO THE RWY. THEY EXECUTE A MISSED APCH. RPTR SAYS THAT ATC SHOULD KEEP FLCS INFORMED ABOUT SEVERE WX.

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ORIGINALLY CLRED FOR RIVER VISUAL RWY 18 APCH TO DCA. APPROX 8 MI OUT ON BASE LEG; ATC CLRED US FOR LDA DME RWY 18 APCH; GAVE US HDG TO INTERCEPT LDA; AND ALT CHANGE WITH CLRNC. AT MDA AND MANEUVERING VISUALLY TO RWY; OBSERVED STORM AND A LIGHTNING STRIKE OVER APCH END OF RWY 18 AND HEARD LNDG ACFT AHEAD OF US RPT 25 KT AIRSPD LOSS AT 100 FT AGL; VISIBILITY NEAR ZERO IMMEDIATELY AFTER TOUCHDOWN AND BRAKING ACTION POOR. I INITIATED GAR AT APPROX 800 FT AND TURNED R TO AVOID STORM; THEN CONTINUED MISSED APCH PROC. RECEIVED RADAR VECTORS AND SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED SUBSEQUENT APCH AND LNDG AFTER STORM PASSED. NEVER AT ANY TIME DID ATC ADVISE US OF ANY CHANGE IN WX BESIDES WHAT WAS RPTED ON ATIS. ATC SHOULD INFORM APCHING ACFT OF SEVERE WX PHENOMENON IN SITS LIKE THIS ONE. ATC REPEATED ITS SAME ACTIONS WHICH; IF CORRECTLY MODIFIED; WOULD LIKELY HAVE CAUSED FLT XXX TO HAVE AVOIDED CRASHING IN CLT SEVERAL YRS AGO. WERE IT NOT FOR GOOD TRAINING; COMMON SENSE; THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM FLT XXX; AND NECESSARY INSTANTANEOUS BOLD ACTION AND DECISION MAKING ABILITY TO SAY 'THE HELL WITH THE PUBLISHED MISSED APCH PROC;' THIS PLT COULD EASILY HAVE REPEATED XXX'S FATAL MISTAKES. OVERHEARING ANOTHER ACFT TELL AN ATC FACILITY OF SEVERE WX ON FINAL IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. WE NEED TO HEAR ABOUT IT FROM ATC; AND WE NEED TO HEAR ABOUT IT FAST.