A lightning strike is an impressive and dangerous natural phenomenon. There are countless examples when lightning strikes bring damage to health and property. However, in some cases, the absence of lightning protection or errors in its design led to disastrous consequences. These cases remain in history as examples of the strength of the elements and the indiscretion of people.
About 10 million lightning strikes occur on the Earth daily. In the temperate latitudes of Russia, up to 500 strokes may occur during an hour of a severe thunderstorm. On average, the lightning voltage is 100 million volts, and the length can exceed 10 km at a plasma temperature higher than on the surface of the Sun. This is a powerful natural “weapon”, and the number of lightning bolts grows as global warming develops. Therefore, the historical experience of the well-known incidents related to lightning allows a sober assessment of the risks of savings on lightning protection.
Read more in our article "Ten disasters caused by lightning strikes: hard history lessons".
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