Lightning trivia
Jul. 5th, 2007 05:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cryowizardA bolt of lightning can reach temperatures approaching 28,000 kelvins (50,000 degrees Fahrenheit) in a split second. This is about five times hotter than the surface of the sun. The heat of lightning which strikes loose soil or sandy regions of the ground may fuse the soil or sand into glass channels called fulgurites. These are sometimes found under the sandy surfaces of beaches and golf courses, or in desert regions. Fulgurites are evidence that lightning spreads out into branching channels when it strikes the ground.
[...]
Of all common trees the most frequently struck is the oak. It has a deep central root that goes beneath the tree, as well as hollow water-filled cells that run up and down the wood of the oak's trunk. These two qualities make oak trees better grounded and more conductive than trees with shallow roots and closed cells.
* The odds of an average person living in the USA being struck by lightning once in his lifetime has been estimated to be 1:3000.
* The city of Teresina in northern Brazil has the third-highest rate of occurrences of lightning strikes in the world. The surrounding region is referred to as the Chapada do Corisco ("Flash Lightning Flatlands").
* The United States is home to "Lightning Alley", a group of states in the American Southeast that collectively see more lightning strikes per year than any other place in the US. The most notable state in Lightning Alley is Florida.
* The saying "lightning never strikes twice in the same place" is false. The Empire State Building is struck by lightning on average 100 times each year, and was once struck 15 times in 15 minutes.
* Some repeat lightning strike victims claim that lightning can choose its target, although this theory is entirely disregarded by the scientific community.
* Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is probably the highest-ranked modern statesman to be struck by a lightning (which happened in 2005 with no reported health consequences)
* Jim Caviezel, the actor who played Jesus in the film The Passion of the Christ, is reported to have been struck by lightning during shooting. The assistant director Jan Michelini was struck twice.
* Golfers Retief Goosen and Lee Trevino have both been struck by lightning while playing.
* Although commonly associated with thunderstorms, lightning strikes can occur on any day, even in the absence of clouds.
* Lightning interferes with AM (amplitude modulation) radio signals much more than FM (frequency modulation) signals, providing an easy way to gauge local lightning strike intensity.
Source
[...]
Of all common trees the most frequently struck is the oak. It has a deep central root that goes beneath the tree, as well as hollow water-filled cells that run up and down the wood of the oak's trunk. These two qualities make oak trees better grounded and more conductive than trees with shallow roots and closed cells.
* The odds of an average person living in the USA being struck by lightning once in his lifetime has been estimated to be 1:3000.
* The city of Teresina in northern Brazil has the third-highest rate of occurrences of lightning strikes in the world. The surrounding region is referred to as the Chapada do Corisco ("Flash Lightning Flatlands").
* The United States is home to "Lightning Alley", a group of states in the American Southeast that collectively see more lightning strikes per year than any other place in the US. The most notable state in Lightning Alley is Florida.
* The saying "lightning never strikes twice in the same place" is false. The Empire State Building is struck by lightning on average 100 times each year, and was once struck 15 times in 15 minutes.
* Some repeat lightning strike victims claim that lightning can choose its target, although this theory is entirely disregarded by the scientific community.
* Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is probably the highest-ranked modern statesman to be struck by a lightning (which happened in 2005 with no reported health consequences)
* Jim Caviezel, the actor who played Jesus in the film The Passion of the Christ, is reported to have been struck by lightning during shooting. The assistant director Jan Michelini was struck twice.
* Golfers Retief Goosen and Lee Trevino have both been struck by lightning while playing.
* Although commonly associated with thunderstorms, lightning strikes can occur on any day, even in the absence of clouds.
* Lightning interferes with AM (amplitude modulation) radio signals much more than FM (frequency modulation) signals, providing an easy way to gauge local lightning strike intensity.
Source