Who doesn’t love a lightning storm? I am always mesmerized by the electrical energy coursing through the sky and the beautiful display of power. Often, we just enjoy this fascinating natural phenomenon, but sometimes there is more to know.
Technically speaking, lightning is a massive discharge of atmospheric electricity that occurs when there is a buildup of electrical charges within a thundercloud. Most lightning strikes carry around 100 million volts and average 2-3 miles long. And while it packs a punch, the width of lightning is only roughly the size of a quarter. All that beauty, with the quickness of a strike just shy of 2 microseconds, or 0.000002 seconds. This certainly explains why it is so hard to get a good picture and all of the fast-as-lightning idioms.
Lighting appears in a variety of colors, including blue, white, violet, and even red. The color provides insight into the conditions of the atmosphere and elements involved in the lightning discharge. White lightning is, of course, the most common color seen as a brilliant, intense flash, with all the colors that we see as white. Violet is less common, as it shows the presence of atmospheric nitrogen. Red lightning is rare, as we are only treated to this when significant amounts of dust, pollution, or other aerosols are in the lower atmosphere.
The lightning capital of the US is a unique Florida suburb of Orlando, Four Corners. The town is named such because four counties meet forming a quadripoint. And it is the lightning capital because in 2022 it recorded 1,229 lightning strikes per square mile. Part of that was due to Hurricane Ian passing through Florida, a hurricane setting the record for lightning strikes from an Atlantic weather system. Hurricane Ian alone had an estimated 34,000 strikes over 2 days.
So how often are we treated to this force of nature? It turns out more often than one would suspect. On average, there are 1,800 thunderstorms happening around the planet at any given moment. There are 50 – 100 lightning strikes every second, over 3 million strikes per day, and over a billion each year. That means the odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime is 1 in 3,000. So, you are more apt to be struck by lightning than strike it rich with the lottery!
If Only Joke:
What did one lightning bolt say to the other?
You’re shocking!