January 22, 2019

What are my chances of getting zapped by lightning?

The odds of the average American getting struck are 1 in 5,000. Lightning strikes about 2,000 people world-wide each year, and 9 out of every 10 […]
January 22, 2019

Why doesn’t lightning strike twice?

That old saying is a sham. Bolts strike skyscrapers and other tall buildings twice, thrice, or more. New York City’s Empire State Building gets hit about […]
January 22, 2019

Why aren’t planes struck by lightning?

Airplanes are designed to withstand hundreds of thousands of amperes of electricity—far more electricity than a lightning bolt can deliver. An airplane’s first round of defense […]
January 22, 2019

What causes thunder?

Thunder is the loud sound you hear after a lightning flash. Lightning is a bolt of very hot electricity that also makes the air around it very hot. In […]