MYTHS AND TRUTHSMYTH: Lightning only strikes very tall objects, (OR)Lightning always strikes tallest object. TRUTH: The following image is a zoomed-in and cropped view of the Greentree lightning photo:  You can clearly see the lightning striking the ground only 50 feet away from the tall metal light pole. There is also a tall office building about 150 feet away from the lightning strike point. Lightning doesn't always strike the tallest and most conductive object! Lightning strikes the tallest objects in a particular area. For instance, if there is a lone small tree in a large field and the field is surrounded by very tall trees, the small tree is just as likely to get hit by lightning as the tall ones. It is also possible for the lightning to strike the ground in the field and completely miss the trees, if the field is large enough! If you are out in the open and are surrounded by tall objects, do not assume you are safe from lightning! MYTH: Rubber shoes or boots insulate and therefore protect against a lightning strike. Air is also insulating. A lightning bolt (on average) has pushed its way through miles of air, so it won't be stopped by a half-inch of rubber, or several hundred feet of rubber, for that matter. People who have beenstruck by lightning o ften get their shoes (and/or clothes) blown off or blown apart from the powerful shock wave produced by the lightning stroke. MYTH: A Surge Protector will protect against a lightning strike. TRUTH: Unfortunately not. A common surge protector will only stop voltage spikes and surges, but not the huge, violent burst of current from a close lightning strike. Lightning current is simply too big to protect with a little electronic device inside a power strip. The only way to protect your stereo, television, computer, or any electronic appliance is to unplug all power, telephone (modem), and antenna connections during a thunderstorm. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSDoes lightning travel upwards or downwards?The answer is BOTH: For a cloud-to-ground the stepped discharge, leader begins in the lower section of a and thunderstorm cloud travels downward and initiates an upward-moving leader when it gets close to the ground (see animation at right). The two meet in midair, usually at a point about 300 feet or less above ground. When the stepped leader and leader meet, providing a conducting path for charge flow, there is a huge flow of current upwards through the channel, brightly illuminating it.Other types of discharges, such as the less frequent ground-to-cloud discharges, consist of an upward moving stepped leader that starts from an object on the ground. Does lightning ever hit water? Yes. Lightning can hit water just as easily as it can on dry land. Since water is a good electrical conductor, current from a strike can travel far from the strike point. For this reason, swimming during a storm or while storms are nearby is dangerous. Another reason swimming during a storm isn't safe is because the swimmer is protruding from the surface of the water, somewhat increasing the probability of a direct hit from a nearby strike. If you are caught outside during a thunderstorm, you should stay away from large bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, and oceans. Why does lightning/static electricity damage electronics? Can other appliances be damaged by lightning? Electronic chips have very delicate, microscopic circuitry that is easily damaged by even small sparks from static electricity. Most other appliances, like washers, refrigerators, lamps, etc. usually don't have a lot of electronic components, so static electricity usually won't harm them. However, a direct or very close lightning strike can destroy ANY electric appliance, electronic or non-electronic, if the large lightning current flows through them. Lightning current can burn up wires inside appliances, motors, and household electrical circuits. Due to the highly sensitive nature of electronics, a surge from a power line malfunction or a far-away lightning strike to a power line could be enough to cause permanent damage to electronic appliances, which is why using a surge protection device is recommended. PICTURE GALLERYScene 1Scene 2 |
