Lightning Facts

3/4/2019 (Permalink)

What do you know about lightning?  Lightning can occur inside clouds, between clouds and from clouds to the ground.  Around one quarter of lightning is from cloud to ground.  When lightning strikes the ground it seeks out the shortest route to something with a positive charge, this could be a tree, a tall building or even a person.  Lightning is a violent, scary and sometime quite beautiful.  Here are some fun facts about lightning:

• The energy contained from a single lightning strike can power a 100 watt light bulb for 90 days.
• The irrational fear of lightning is know as Keraunophobia.
• The odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime is 1 in 3,000.
• A single bolt of lightning is around 50,000 or 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.
• An average instance of lightning last about a quarter of a second and consist of 3-4 strikes.
• "Lightning never strikes twice" is just a myth, lightning can strike the same location many times.

Although lightning can strike anytime, the chance for lightning increases in the spring and summer months.  Please be safe when you see lightning in the sky.  It can strike you at anytime.