When Lightning Strikes

5/22/2020 (Permalink)

Lightning Facts

We have put together a few facts about lightning that might shock you. Lightning can be beautiful and humbling. Watching those huge bolts light up a night sky leaves us in awe of its beauty and also how incredibly dangerous it can be. It can be extremely costly both economically and personally. Lightning losses to the United States economy approaches $7 billion per year and kills an average of 47 people per year. 

• A lightning strike is hotter than the surface of the sun and can reach temperatures around 50,000 degrees
• A single bolt of lightning hits the ground somewhere in the world about 100 times every second.
• That’s 8 million lightning strikes per day

Lightning Damage

It is estimated that almost one-third of all US businesses will suffer lightning damage at some point. The insurance industry experiences an average of $15 billion in losses annually due to lightning damage.

• 30% of power failures due to lightning, annual cost over $1 billion
• 5% of insurance claims involve lightning
• Commercial and Military Aircraft costs - $4 billion
• Lightning causes damage to perhaps 200,00 computers and networks every year

Lightning Protection

Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere or between the atmosphere and the ground. In the initial stages of development, air acts as an insulator between the positive and negative charges in the cloud and between the cloud and the ground; however, when the differences in charges become too great, this insulating capacity of the air breaks down and there is a rapid discharge of electricity that we know as lightning.

A lightning protection unit provides a specified path or redirection of the lightning potential to less volatile locations. 

Lightning can be extremely dangerous and very destructive. We want you to be safe and sound. It’s difficult to defend against something so erratic and destructive but we can do our best by knowing what is possible and doing some research on different types of surge protectors and rods. 

As always, if disaster strikes, SERVPRO of Springfield, Sangamon, Morgan, Cass, and Montgomery counties is always here for you. We can be reached 24/7 at 217-528-7775.