How much do you really know about lightning? Keep reading for the 101. Some might even say these facts are STRIKING.
Striking Facts You Didn’t Know About Lightning
We know that by definition, “Lightning is a sudden electrostatic discharge during an electrical storm between electrically charged regions of a cloud, between that cloud and another cloud, or between a cloud and the ground.” And that it is hotter than the surface of the sun, but did you know that there is so much more you didn’t know about lightning? Well good news, you’ll find out more facts than you ever did.
You can thank Daily Infographic for this added knowledge.
Lightning Hotspots
- Did you know that 70% of global lightning occurs in the tropics?
- 10% of all people struck by lightning were in Florida at the time.
- The Empire State Building is struck 24 times per year on average. It was once struck 8 times in 24 minutes.
- In July 2007, 30 people were killed by lightning in the remote village of Ushari Dara in northwestern Pakistan.
- Above the Catatumbo River in Venezuela lightning flashes several times minute 160 nights of the year.
- The small village of Kifuka is the most struck place on earth with 158 strikes per square kilometer per year.
- Singapore has one of the world’s highest rates of lightning activity.
Lightning Kills Cows
October 31, 2005 – 68 cows were killed
by a single lightning strike at a farm near Dorrigo, New South Wales. 3 cows were paralyzed but made a full recovery.
More Facts!
- 1 bolt is equivalent to 10,000,000 light bulbs
- Positive lightning can travel 10 miles ahead of a storm
- The air immediately around a lightning bolt is 3x the heat of the surface of the sun
Do You Know Roy Sullivan?
- He holds the Guinness World Record for getting struck by lightning. As a park ranger, he was hit 7 times and survived.
- April 1942 – Roy was hit while hiding from a thunderstorm in a lookout tower, receiving a half-inch burn the length of his right leg.
- July 1969 – Roy was hit by a bolt that ricocheted off a tree and entered his truck while he was driving.
- 1970 – A bolt jumped from a power transformer near Roy’s house and seared his left shoulder.
- 1972 – Lightning struck Roy at a ranger station, setting his hair on fire.
- August 1973 – A bolt struck Roy’s right side and blew his shoe off while he was trying to run away from a storm.
- June 1976 – Fleeing a suspicious stormcloud, Roy was hit by lightning.
- June 1977 – A bolt struck Roy while he was fishing. He then proceeded to fight off a bear with a stick.
Wasn’t that informative? Did you know more about lightnings now than you did before? Let us know below in the comments!
Want more useful information about storms and the weather? Get more here:
How To Read Weather | Weather Forecasting Without A Gadget
