Inside the hidden society of lightning strike survivors

After getting hit, they suffered devastating symptoms that wouldn’t go away. It seemed no one could help – until they found each other

As Lightning Strikes Spike, Myth-Busting Often Means Safety

In the case of a thunderstorm, lightning can strike up to 10 miles away. That would be 50 seconds, and really, that's about the distance that you can hear thunder. So even a distant rumble should tell you you're close enough to be struck by lightning.

Bolts From the Blue: The Beauty of Lightning

Nothing more romantic than a discharge of energy that allows the atmosphere to restore electrostatic balance, lightning nonetheless thrills us, frightens us and holds us spellbound.

Dissecting a lightning strike, from flash to boom

The steps that lead from a charged sky to that signature bolt.

Does Lightning Ever Strike Twice?

Heres why old sayings shouldnt always be trusted.

Flash Facts About Lightning

Lightning is one of the leading weather-related causes of death and injury in the United States. Most people do not realize that they can be struck by lightning even when the center of a thunderstorm is 10 miles (16 kilometers) away and there are blue skies overhead. Did you know that rubber shoes do nothing to protect you from lightning? That talking on the telephone is the leading cause of lightning injuries inside the home? That standing under a tall tree is one of the most dangerous places to take shelter?

How To Survive A Thunderstorm: The Basics (Part 1 of 4)

I am legitimately afraid of lightning in the backcountry and have found information on what to do when caught in a thunderstorm difficult to come by (probably lightning kills everyone who dares to ask too many questions). Most of what I find focuses on avoiding being caught in a storm in the first place, or getting out of the storm once it begins.

How To Survive A Thunderstorm: What To Do (Part 4 of 4)

So there’s good news and bad news, which do you want first? Bad news? Alright. The bad news is (and I’ve mentioned this many times before), that there is no safe place outdoors during a thunderstorm. You cannot do anything to guarantee your safety, only things to marginally improve your situation. When you read the lists of “places to avoid”... These lists usually look something like this: avoid high elevations, open fields, tall isolated objects, water, ridgelines, cave entrances, and overhangs... but honestly, the best thing you can do if caught in a thunderstorm if at all humanly possible, is get your ass indoors.

Lichtenberg Figures: The Fractal Patterns of Lightning Strike Scars

Being struck by lightning is a dangerous and scary experience and can even be fatal. Sometimes, the electrical discharge can leave a tattoo-like marking or scar known as a Lichtenberg figure. The patterns created are known to be examples of fractals.

Lightning

Cloud-to-ground lightning bolts are a common phenomenon—about 100 strike Earth’s surface every single second—yet their power is extraordinary. Each bolt can contain up to one billion volts of electricity. A typical cloud-to-ground lightning bolt begins when a step-like series of negative charges, called a stepped leader, races downward from the bottom of a storm cloud toward the Earth along a channel at about 200,000 mph (300,000 kph). Each of these segments is about 150 feet (46 meters) long.

Lightning Myths

Myth: If you're caught outside during a thunderstorm, you should crouch down to reduce your risk of being struck. Fact: Crouching doesn't make you any safer outdoors. Run to a substantial building or hard topped vehicle. If you are too far to run to one of these options, you have no other good alternative. You are NOT safe anywhere outdoors

Lightning Science: Five Ways Lightning Strikes People

It is not always possible to know exactly how a victim has been struck, but here is a list of ways that lightning strikes its victims. Any of these types of strikes can be deadly. Immediate medical attention, including calling 911, starting CPR, and using an AED, may be critically important to keep the person alive until more advanced medical care arrives.

Lightning season is here: Fast facts and how to stay safe, from a meteorologist

For as often as lightning occurs – there are only a few days each year nationwide without lightning – there are still a lot of misunderstandings about nature’s largest spark. Because of this, a lot of people take unnecessary risks when thunderstorms are nearby.

Struck by lightning, my face burned and my memory disappeared. Here is how I made it back

Scott Knudsen was holding his baby when a strike tore through his body. He reflects on the challenging, laughter-filled path to reclaiming his health and identity

The science of 'superbolts,' the world's strongest lightning strikes

They're 1,000 times stronger and brighter than average lightning, and scientists have finally found a cause of these dramatic flashes of electricity.

The Science of Lightning

A view into some of the rarer types of lightning.

We Don’t Actually Know What Triggers Lightning Strikes

The main problem is that we don’t know how a thundercloud gets the spark needed to initiate a lightning bolt. The biggest mystery is that the electric field in thunderclouds is not very large. Years of experimental measurements from aeroplanes and air balloons have shown that the field is about 10 times smaller than what is needed to initiate lightning. It is not clear how a lightning bolt is born, but the idea is that something has to “seed” it first.

What goes on when lightning strikes?

One lightning flash could run a whole power station – and there are 8 million strikes around the Earth every day. We still don't know what triggers the phenomenon, although a new theory proposes a role for cosmic rays

What It's Like to Be Struck by Lightning

There’s a good chance you’ll survive. But the effects can be lasting.

Why Are Lightning ‘Superbolts’ More Common Over the Ocean?

Salt seems to be the reason why bolts are brighter over seas than over land

Why Do So Many People Die From Lightning Strikes In Indonesia?

The situation is especially bad in Sumatra and Java—the location of some of the most-intense lightning storms in the world. This is because of the islands' geography. Warm, humid air blows in from the Indian Ocean where it hits the volcanic mountains of Sumatra and Java—producing some tremendous storms. Bogor, West Java, a satellite city in the suburbs of Jakarta, carries the distinction as one of the most lightning-prone places out there, with hundreds of reported strikes a year. And on some islands, thunder and lightning storms occur as often as 218 days out of the year, according to data compiled by the World Survey of Climatology.