Lightning // Current

Helicopter blades generate lightning bolts

A collection of sublime images from embedded journalist Michael Yon of what happens... more

cefirak
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One person killed as severe storms sweep across parts of Mississippi

A strong to severe line of storms moved into Western Mississippi, just before noon,... more

stormchaser4850
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Storm Chase '09: A timelapse Montage

This montage shows the best time lapse of my 2009 storm chasing season, Ranging from... more

TCook
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2 months ago
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Footballer loses leg after getting stuck by lightning

Danish footballer Jonathan Richter, of Danish Superliga side FC Nordsjælland, has had... more

richjm
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3 months ago
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‘Gigantic jet’ of upward lightning captured on film

Researchers have captured rare footage of a mysterious upside-down lightning bolt. The... more

adambyron
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3 months ago
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Toronto Lightning Time Lapse

Nothing is cooler that massive electrical storms. This one in Toronto was caught on a... more

abbym0308
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Man survives lightning bolt through ear!

A man struck by lightning after sheltering under a tree has miraculously survived... more

hoppitt
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4 months ago
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Wonders in the World of Nature

Nature is a miraculous creation that accommodates some unusual and wondrous sights... more

CHANLEEPENG
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4 months ago
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NASA, 6th attempt at a launch of Endeavour today; but weather remains issue

Despite the first 2 delays of the Space Shuttle Endeavour in June from potentially... more

stormchaser4850
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Thunderstorms less of a concern for the Space Shuttle Endeavour launch today

Space Shuttle Endeavour will attempt to launch today at 7:13 pm EDT. (4th attempt)... more

stormchaser4850
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5 months ago
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Lightning

Eureka!

joshuaheller
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Lightning safety urged during the month of July

Thunderstorms this time of year across the South are more random in nature, and occur... more

stormchaser4850
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Deadly June opens season of lightning strikes

12-year-old Virginia boy was playing baseball when it happened. The same week, a 33-year-old man was struck while jogging in Texas, a 70-year-old California woman was hit while doing yard work and a Kentucky man, 44, fell victim while waiting under a tree for a ride.

They are among 11 people killed already this month by lightning strikes in the United States, according to the National Weather Service.

"Lightning is very random in terms of fatalities," National Weather Service lightning safety expert John Jensensius told CNN. "We normally see a good amount of lightning in June, but this is unusually high. There really is no good explanation of why that's the case."

Six of the 15 lightning-strike deaths in the U.S. so far this year occurred in California, Texas and Florida, with the rest scattered through the South, Midwest and West. No deaths have occurred in the Northeast so far, "likely due to the cool, damp pattern we've seen in New England," Jensensius said. "There have been less severe thunderstorms there." Summer is the deadliest season for lightning strikes because of the frequency of thunderstorms and the fact that more people are outdoors. This week, the first official week of summer, marks "Lightning Safety Awareness Week" for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The agency's message is "When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors." That's because all the people killed by lightning in the U.S. so far this year -- and the 28 killed in 2008 -- were outdoors. Taking shelter under trees offers little safety -- nearly one-third of the people killed by lightning last year were under a tree when they were hit.

More than 400 people in the U.S. are hit by lightning each year, according to the National Weather Service. Lightning, on average, kills more people than hurricanes and tornadoes combined (among all weather-related fatalities, only floods kill more). While not all injuries result in death, many victims are left with devastating and permanent disabilities.

You may remember that as a child you were told to count the seconds between a lightning flash and thunder to see how far away the lightning was. But by the time you calculate it, it may be too late. Sometimes thunder and lightning can happen simultaneously.

Despite its "Sunshine State" nickname, Florida receives more cloud-to-ground lightning than any other state in the country, according to data from NASA satellites.

But Florida does not receive the most lightning in the world. According to NASA research, that dubious honor goes to the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 158 strikes per square kilometer each year. Thunderstorms occur in Central Africa year-round.12-year-old Virginia boy was playing baseball when it happened. The same week, a... more