10 Interesting Facts About Lightning

By siyab on Friday, June 12th, 2009, in Did You Know?.

Lightning is an amazing and breathtaking sight to witness. Here are a few facts about lightning.

1. Most strikes are about 2 to 3 miles long.

2. There are two types of lightning strikes: positive and negative. Negative strikes are the most common.

3. The temperature of a typical lightning bolt is greater than that of the surface of the Sun. That’s more than 5,400 ºC !

4. Every year, the Earth experiences an average of 25 million lightning strikes, during some 100,000 thunderstorms. That’s more than a hundred lightning bolts per second

5. The odds of becoming a lightning victim in the U.S. in any one year are 1 in 700,000. The odds of being struck in your lifetime are 1 in 3,000.

6. The energy contained in a single lightning stroke can power a 100 Watt light bulb for 90 days.

7. The energy released by lightning strikes can generate nitrogen oxides (from the un-reactive nitrogen in the air). These nitrogen oxides are beneficial for plants, as plants use these for growth.

8. “Lightning never strikes twice” is just a myth. Lightning can strike the same location many times.

9. Talking on the phone is the leading cause of lightning injuries inside the home.

10. The maximum range over which you can hear thunder is around 12 miles from the starting point.