Hint: Scary service cable
See answer below.
Wow! It’s very scary to see the kind of damage that Mother Nature and Father Time can do to electrical equipment. This service cable has deteriorated to the point where the external cable jacket is completely gone.
For all locations, Sec. 300.6 requires raceways, cable sheathing, cable armor, fittings, supports, and other equipment to be made of materials suitable for the environment where they are installed. Where exposed to sunlight, Sec. 300.6(C)(1) requires nonmetallic materials to be listed as being sunlight resistant or identified as being sunlight resistant. Unless identified for the operating environment, Sec. 110.11 prohibits conductors or equipment from being located in damp or wet locations, or where exposed to other agents that have a deteriorating effect on the conductors or equipment.
I think this photo helps us understand why these requirements now exist. This service cable has gotten to the point where the damage is so bad that it must be disconnected, removed and replaced with a new service. Replacing this cable probably should have happened a long time ago.