Let's Learn Some Cool Things of Lightning

• Lightening is suspected to be created by ice. Water molecules and ice stick together. Eventually the weight will cause it to break apart into small and large pieces. Large piece have a positive charge and the smaller one have a negative charge.
• Lightning is the most powerful electrical voltage on earth
• About 10 million voltage hit earth due to lightning.
• A tree will split when the water inside a tree boils after lightning hits it.
• When you are positively charged your hair will stand up. At this point  negatively charged elements in the atmosphere will attract to you, making you lightning in a sense, or as we think of it, electrocuted.

• A lighting strike can have at most 200 thousand amps
• It only takes 1/10 amp to kill someone
• When lightning hits a person, most of the energy goes around the person, not though them
• A person will survive because the energy is attracted to the moisture in the skin, not to organs. After it hits the person, it will travel down to the ground.

What Damage has Lightning Caused?

What do you think of when I ask what natural event causes property damage, injuries, and even death? I your bet first thought wasn't lightning. Well in face, lightning is one of the highest causes in property damage and death in United States due to natural events. Many people believe that because lightning happens so often and isn't always serious, that it gets less attention than thunderstorms or tornadoes would. Because of this, more people are careless when it comes to lightning.

So what should you avoid when lightning is present? We all unplug phone, computers, blow dryers, and other thing plugged in an outlet during storms. The reason it that if lightning were to strike an electrical cord, the energy and voltage would cause the object to plow up, combust, or if you are holding it, electrocute you. You should also avoid trees. There is a common misconception that when lightning hits a tree, the lightning cause it to split in half or break off. In fact, it is not that at all. A tree has sap and when that tree gets struck the sap heats up, turning it into steam. the steam builds up and eventually will burn the tree or cause it to splinter.

The estimated total cost of lightning damage a year is said to be $4-5 billion. That's about $1333-1666 per person per year. To keep from having to pay the for damage there are some precautionary to know about:

1. Never be in an empty field/area because you are more likely to be hit.
2. Never be on/near a tall seclude object because you are likely to be hit.
3. During a thunderstorm seek proper shelter. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough for lightning to hit you.
4. While indoors or out, do not use electrical equipment or pool, showers, etc.
5. The most important it: use wisdom and be aware of what is happening.

What Causes Lightning?

Before I can tell you how lightning forms, you need to know the basic structure of a cloud. Go outside and look up at the sky on a calm day. You will probably see clouds. Have you ever wondered what's inside those clouds? Clouds are made up of tinny particles of water called called condensation that accumulate (come together) to form a cloud.

The atmosphere has positive and negative charges. When the weather outside is calm and nice, the positive and negative particle are evenly dispersed. When the weather starts to get bad, the negative and positive charges start to move. The positive charges form at the top, while the negative charges form at the bottom.

When the electricity leaves one type of charge and hits the other, lightning is created. It can start with a positive charge particle in the air and a negative charge particle lower in the air collide, or it can start with a positive charge particle in the ground and a negative charge particle in the air hit.