Striking Facts About Lightning!

It’s a sunny day at the beach but you see an ominous cloud way out in the distance. Initial thoughts are you’re probably safe, well think again! Here we’ll discuss some known (or maybe even unknown) facts about Mother Nature’s most electrifying tool.

Shedding the Light on Lightning 

Lightning can be found in all parts of the world, especially in places that are prone to storms such as the tropics. The speed of light is about 670,000,000 mph which is what those lightning flashes produce to our eyes, but the actual strike itself only travels at roughly 270,000 mph. That alone would be fast enough to travel to the Moon in under an hour. Every year, there’s roughly 1.4 billion lightning strikes recorded, which is roughly 3 million strikes per day, which also converts to about 44 strikes per second.

Although their appearance looks gnarly, an average lightning bolt is about 2-3 miles in length and about the size of a thumb in width, which is roughly 2-3 cm or about an inch. With that being said, one lightning bolt can be as hot as five times that of the sun! That’s roughly 30,000 degrees Celsius! If you are ever curious about how far a lightning bolt is from you, just count the number of seconds it takes to hear the roar of thunder. Divide the number of seconds by five and that will tell you how many miles away you are. 

Lightning up the World 

Remember the previous beach example from above? Well, if you’ve ever been to a beach and lightning happens to strike the sandy shores, there is a chance that it will create a glass-like material known as fulgurite. This material is very valuable to scientists and collectors alike since it can date lightning storms. 

Speaking of sandy shores, there is a place known as Lake Maracaibo and it is said to be the most lightning struck place in the world. Up to 160 days throughout the year, Lake Maracaibo could see thunderstorms produce an average of 28 strikes per minute which could last up to 10 hours! This rounds the total strike count to roughly 40,000 strikes in just one night.

Other Avenues of Lightning 

Thunderstorms aren’t the only ones that can produce lightning though. Researchers from the Met Office in the United Kingdom recently discovered that helicopters could produce brief lightning flashes due to the negative electrical charge it creates while flying. All it takes is for these negatively charged ions to clash with a positively charged one, and then you have helicopter lightning!

Do you live near an active volcano? If so, you may be able to see another natural source of lightning creation. Anytime a volcano erupts, lightning strikes can be triggered almost immediately. As the ash cloud rockets into the atmosphere, this allows for an electrical charge to be induced. This sudden clash of charges will most likely lead to lightning flashes around the ash cloud.

Lightning: To Be Feared, But Respected 

It goes without saying that lightning is dangerous and can be fatal should you get struck. Lightning is also dangerous to any neighboring trees as well. Trees are filled with water and sap, so when a lightning bolt strikes them it immediately super-heats the moisture inside the tree, often leading to an explosion. Which is another reason to not take shelter under a tree during a thunderstorm.

Although it has more destructive effects than not, lightning can also be a source of light and life in the world. A common element known as nitrogen is found around the world, and it is mostly absorbed by plants through bacteria and algae by a process known as nitrogen fixation. However, another way plants can absorb nitrogen is through lightning. Lightning strikes will cause the nitrogen to bond with oxygen in the air and when it rains, it will pour out nitrite-rich moisture for the plants to absorb. 

Source(s): Met Office, NWS

(Image provided by Pixabay.com)