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| Sunday, 19 September 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Lightning - the deadly truth You may have heard the expression 'lightning never strikes the same place twice.' But that is one of the many lightning stories that scientists say are not true. Lightning kills more people each year than snowstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes.
Lightning strikes in tropical central Africa more than anywhere else. Scientists call Florida the lightning capital of the United States. More people are killed by lightning in Florida than any other US state. Why Florida? "A lot of people in Florida are involved with outdoor activities. People are out golfing, they are out boating, so the odds of getting hit by a lightning flash are greater," said Stephen Hodanish, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Colorado. A meteorologist (meet-e-o-rahl-o-gist) is a person who studies weather. Vladimir Rakov, a lightning expert at the University of Florida agrees: "To produce lightning you need thunderclouds. To produce thunderclouds, you generally need heat and moisture, and both are plentiful in Florida." But Florida is certainly not the only place that lightning hits. According to Hodanish, studies show that tall buildings like New York's Empire State Building often get hit several times in a single storm! Lightning Facts More thunderstorms happen in the summer than any other time of year. Here are a few safety tips to remember. If you hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. Seek safety immediately. Houses and buildings provide the best shelter. Lightning can be dangerous even after a storm seems to have passed. Wait at least 30 minutes after you hear thunder before leaving your shelter. Don't be fooled by blue skies! Water is very dangerous during thunderstorms. If you are in or near water during a storm, leave the area right away. People can be hurt by lightning even if they are inside. To stay safe, avoid telephones, electrical appliances, and running water. Don't wash your hands, take a shower, or do laundry during a thunderstorm!If you are stuck outside, 'make yourself as small a target as possible', Hodanish said. "Never stand near tall trees, metal fences, or water." If a person is hit by lightning, medical attention could be needed immediately. Courtesy:National Geographic Kids News ***** How powerful is lightning? A flash of lightning is a giant spark of electricity with a power of as much as 30 million volts. And guess what its temperature is? About 30,000 degrees C or 54,000 degrees F, which is five times as hot as the surface of the Sun! ***** Who invented the lightning conductor? The famous American scientist and statesman, Benjamin Franklin can be called the 'bravest scientist to have lived' because he risked being struck by lightning to make the great discovery in 1752 that lightning is electricity. Amazed as to how he managed to do this since it is no secret how dangerous lightning could be? Well, you will be surprised to learn that he flew a kite! During a heavy thunderstorm, the brave scientist flew a kite right up into the clouds but the string of the kite was not in his hands. He had it connected to an electricity detector, and this experiment proved him right. Electricity did start to flow down the string towards the ground. Franklin's dangerous experiment has saved many lives today. Once he proved that lightning was electricity, he went on to invent the lightning conductor which you and I see today on the roofs of many houses and tall buildings. ***** Connection between lightning and thunder Lightning is a discharge of static electricity in clouds. The sudden heating of the air along the channel of the flash makes the air expand. And when this heated molecules collide with cold ones, it causes thunder. If you ever wondered why we see lightning before we hear thunder it is because light travels faster through air than sound. Thunder travels one kilometre in just three seconds (That's one mile in five seconds). So, next time there is thunder and lightning and you want to find out how far away the storm is ,count the seconds between each peal of thunder. If you count 12 seconds, the storm is four km (2 1/2 miles) away. |
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In fact, among natural disasters, only floods take more lives than
lightning.Lightning is deadly in part because it is so powerful. The
average flash has enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for three
months. The most common form of lightning is that which goes from one
cloud to another. This kind of lightning never touches the ground. But a
hundred lightning bolts do hit Earth every second - and more than eight
million hit Earth every year.
