On Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:48:59 -0800 (PST), "O.B."
wrote:

Our neighbor's house was recently hit by lightning. All that we
suffered were blown GFCI's throughout our house. After replacing the
GFCIs, all outlets are measuring 123 volts as normal except for one.
The outdoor outlet is measuring 97 volts and will not power anything.
Any clue what's wrong here?

My guess is you are using a digital meter. They have a very
high interal resistance that means they can measure false high
voltage. Do you have access to an old analog meter. They blead off
induced current. You can do the same thing by putting a small load on
that circuit, like a 120V test lamp. Chances are it will not light
that test lamp or move the analog meter.

Assuming the above is correct, then you have a connection
problem (open circuit) somewhere between where you are measuring and
the power source.