How Dangerous is Lightning? (2024)

FAQs

How Dangerous is Lightning? ›

Lightning is very dangerous. Lightning strikes on people, though comparatively rare, can cause conditions ranging from amnesia to cardiac arrest. Lightning can also cause the surrounding air to heat up to 27,700 degrees Celsius (almost 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit), often setting nearby objects on fire.

Lightning is one of the MOST UNDERRATED weather hazards. It makes every single thunderstorm a potential killer, whether the storm produces one single bolt or one thousand bolts. Each year in the United States, lightning kills 20-30 people on average and injures 100s more.

A lightning bolt can reach 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit, about five times hotter than the surface of our sun. Lightning strikes the United States 20 million times per year. Lightning moves about 30,000 times faster than a bullet. Thunder is the result of the rapid heating and expansion of air caused by a lightning flash.

But the odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are less than one in a million, and almost 90% of all lightning strike victims survive.

Humans hit by lightning may also have their eardrums blown out by the incoming pressure wave, their respiratory system paralyzed, or suffer secondary burns as their hair or clothing catches fire. But lightning doesn't kill all of its victims; around 90% of people struck survive.

Tall objects such as trees and skyscrapers are more likely than the surrounding ground to produce one of the connecting sparks and so are more likely to be struck by lightning. Mountains also make good targets. However, this does not always mean tall objects will be struck.

Every year in the United States, 20 to 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes occur. Over 300 people are struck by lightning every year in the U.S., and there are around 50 lightning fatalities per year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

When you are out in the great outdoors and have no internet access, you can calculate the distance of a storm using the simple 3-second rule: Just count the seconds between when you see the lightning strike and when you hear the thunder clap and divide this number by three.

Fact: A house is a safe place to be during a thunderstorm as long as you avoid anything that conducts electricity. This means staying off corded phones, electrical appliances, wires, TV cables, computers, plumbing, metal doors and windows.

If you count the number of seconds between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder, and then divide by 5, you'll get the distance in miles to the lightning: 5 seconds = 1 mile, 15 seconds = 3 miles, 0 seconds = very close. Keep in mind that you should be in a safe place while counting.

What is the #1 cause of death from lightning strikes? ›

Sudden death following a lightning strike is due to simultaneous cardiac and respiratory arrest and is more common with direct strikes. Typically, patients will have an asystolic arrest due to an immediate and simultaneous depolarization of all myocardial cells.

Objects that are tall, or objects that are good for conducting electricity will attract lightning. Stay away from them. Inside your home, stay away from anything connected with wires or piping (TVs, lights, appliances, faucets, etc.).

Like trees, houses, and people, anything outside is at risk of being struck by lightning when thunderstorms are in the area, including cars. The good news though is that the outer metal shell of hard-topped metal vehicles does provide protection to those inside a vehicle with the windows closed.

In the U. S., 85 to 90 percent of lightning strike victims survive. The most common after-effects are neurological, most often impairments of memory and mood regulation. Minor, non-specific heart arrhythmias have been observed in victims, but these are not usually life-threatening and resolve without treatment.

"It felt like you'd actually been walloped by something, or you were inside a bass speaker." As the bolt struck, there was a millisecond flash of intense, burning heat, that had already dissipated by the time his brain could even register it.

Myth: If you are in a house, you are 100% safe from lightning. Fact: A house is a safe place to be during a thunderstorm as long as you avoid anything that conducts electricity. This means staying off corded phones, electrical appliances, wires, TV cables, computers, plumbing, metal doors and windows.

Even though your home is a safe shelter during a lightning storm, you might still be at risk. About one-third of lightning-strike injuries occur indoors.