What is Lightning ?

We’ve all heard the saying that lightning never strikes the same place twice, but is it true? The answer is absolutely not. In fact, lightning occurs so frequently that it would be hard for that to be true. At any given time, there are 2000 thunderstorms on the planet, and they produce around 6000 lightning strikes every minute. That’s more than 8.5 million strikes a day. They each have 100,000 times the power of household electricity.

So, what is lightning? Lightning is a very quick electrical discharge that occurs between a cloud and the ground, between two clouds, or within a cloud. It can be seen as a bright flash and is followed by the sound of thunder.

What causes lightning?

Lightning is an electric current. Within a thundercloud way up in the sky, many small bits of ice (frozen raindrops) bump into each other as they move around in the air. All of those collisions create an electric charge. After a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges. The positive charges or protons form at the top of the cloud and the negative charges or electrons form at the bottom of the cloud.

Since opposites attract, that causes a positive charge to build up on the ground beneath the cloud. The grounds electrical charge concentrates around anything that sticks up, such as mountains, people, or single trees. The charge coming up from these points eventually connects with a charge reaching down from the clouds and – zap -.

What are the type of lightning ?

image from google

A beautiful and deadly natural phenomenon, lightning is simply a sudden, electrostatic discharge – a ‘spark’ or  ‘flash’ as charged regions in the atmosphere temporarily equalise themselves through this discharge. It is the polarity of lightning discharge that can affect the way it spreads and branches in space and time.

It is this, as well as its starting and ending points, and direction of movement, that give rise to different ‘types’ of lightning. Lightning can strike the ground, the air, or inside clouds, but there are roughly 5 to 10 times more cloud flashes than there are cloud-to-ground flashes.

  • Cloud-to-Ground (CG) Lightning
  • Negative Cloud-to-Ground Lightning  (-CG)
  • Positive Cloud-to-Ground Lightning  (+CG)
  • Cloud-to-Air (CA) Lightning 
  • Ground-to-Cloud (GC) Lightning
  • Intracloud (IC) Lightning 
  • Cloud-to-Cloud (CC) Lightning (or intercloud lightning)

How do you take care of lightning ?

You can protect yourself from risk even if you are caught outdoors when lightning is close by.

Safety precautions outdoors

image from google
  • If the weather forecast calls for thunderstorms, postpone your trip or activity.
  • Remember: When thunder roars, go indoors. Find a safe, enclosed shelter. Safe shelters include homes, offices, shopping centers, and hard-top vehicles with the windows rolled up.
  • Don’t forget the 30-30 rule. After you see lightning, start counting to 30. If you hear thunder before you reach 30, go indoors. Suspend activities for at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder.
  • If you are caught in an open area, act quickly to find adequate shelter. The most important action is to remove yourself from danger. Crouching or getting low to the ground can reduce your chances of being struck but does not remove you from danger. If you are caught outside with no safe shelter nearby, the following actions may reduce your risk:
    • Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges, or peaks.
    • Never lie flat on the ground. Crouch down in a ball-like position with your head tucked and hands over your ears so that you are down low with minimal contact with the ground.
    • Never shelter under an isolated tree.
    • Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter.
    • Immediately get out of and away from ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water.
    • Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (such as barbed wire fences, power lines, or windmills).
  • Stay away from concrete floors or walls. Lightning can travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.

Safety precautions indoors

image from google

Being indoors does not automatically protect you from lightning. In fact, about one-third of lightning-strike injuries occur indoors. Here are some tips to keep safe and reduce your risk of being struck by lightning while indoors.

  • Avoid contact with water during a thunderstorm. Do NOT bathe, shower, wash dishes, or have any other contact with water during a thunderstorm. Lightning can travel through plumbing.
  • Avoid using electronic equipment of all types. Lightning can travel through electrical systems and radio and television reception systems.
  • Avoid using corded phones. Corded phones are NOT safe to use during a thunderstorm. However, cordless or cellular phones are safe to use during a storm.
  • Avoid concrete floors and walls. Do NOT lie on concrete floors during a thunderstorm. Also, avoid leaning on concrete walls. Lightning can travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.

Lightning strikes may be rare, but they still happen and the risk of serious injury or death is severe. Take thunderstorms seriously

Learn and follow these safety rules to keep yourself safe from lightning.

Source : study.com , cdc.gov