LIGHTNING

SHADA
S9
ROLL NO: 36
 CAUSE
Lightning Is An Electric Current. To Make This Electric Current, First You Need A Cloud.

◦ When The Ground Is Hot, It Heats The Air Above It. This Warm Air Rises. As The Air Rises,
Water Vapour Cools And Forms A Cloud. When Air Continues To Rise, The Cloud Gets Bigger
And Bigger. In The Tops Of The Clouds, Temperature Is Below Freezing And The Water Vapor
Turns Into Ice.
◦ Now, The Cloud Becomes A Thundercloud. Lots Of Small Bits Of Ice Bump Into Each Other
As They Move Around. All These Collisions Cause A Build Up Of Electrical Charge.
◦ Eventually, The Whole Cloud Fills Up With Electrical Charges. Lighter, Positively Charged
Particles Form At The Top Of The Cloud. Heavier, Negatively Charged Particles Sink To The
Bottom Of The Cloud.
◦ When The Positive And Negative Charges Grow Large Enough, A Giant Spark - Lightning -
Occurs Between The Two Charges Within The Cloud. This Is Like A Static Electricity Sparks
You See, But Much Bigger.
◦ Most Lightning Happens Inside A Cloud, But Sometimes It Happens Between The Cloud
And The Ground.
◦ A Build Up Of Positive Charge Builds Up On The Ground Beneath The Cloud, Attracted To
The Negative Charge In The Bottom Of The Cloud. The Ground's Positive Charge
Concentrates Around Anything That Sticks Up - Trees, Lightning Conductors, Even People!
The Positive Charge From The Ground Connects With The Negative Charge From The Clouds
And A Spark Of Lightning Strikes.
HAZARDOUS EFFECT ON HUMAN
With A Power Of 300 Kilovolts, Lightning Can Heat The Air Up To 50,000 Degrees Fahrenheit. This Combination
Of Power And Heat Can Cause Serious Damage To The Human Body. Being Struck By Lightning May Lead To
Burns, Rupturing Of The Eardrum, Eye Damage, Cardiac Arrest, And Respiratory Arrest

◦ Lightning Can Cause Burns To The Skin, Deep Wounds, And Tissue Damage. The Electrical Current Can Also
Cause A Type Of Scaring Known As Lichtenberg Figures (Branching Electric Discharges). This Type Of Scaring Is
Characterized By Unusual Fractal Patterns That Develop As A Result Of Blood Vessel Destruction That Happens
As The Lightning Current Travels Through The Body.

◦ Cardiac Arrest Can Occur As A Lightning Strike Can Cause The Heart To Stop. It May Also Cause Arrhythmias
And Pulmonary Edema (Fluid Accumulation In The Lungs)

◦ Lightning Strikes May Cause A Number Of Neurological Conditions And Brain Damage. A Person May Slip Into A
Coma, Experience Pain And Numbness Or Weakness In Limbs, Suffer From Spinal Cord Injuries, Or Develop Sleep
And Memory Disorders.

◦ A Lightning Strike May Cause Damage To The Ear And Hearing Loss. It May Also Cause Vertigo, Corneal
Damage, And Blindness.

◦ The Sheer Force Of Being Hit By A Lightning Strike Can Cause Clothing And Shoes To Be Blown Off, Singed, Or
Shredded. This Type Of Trauma Can Also Cause Internal Bleeding And Can Sometimes Result In Broken Bones.
HAZARDOUS EFFECT ON BUILDING
Direct Effects-a Direct Strike To A Building Or Structure Will Seek A Path To
Ground Either Via The Structure’s Lightning Protection System Or Via Any Other
Metallic Path Via A Series Of Flashovers Which May Quite Unpredictable. As Well
As Direct Strike To Buildings And Structures, Lightning May Directly Strike Power
Lines, Antennas, Antenna Feeders And Overhead Telephone Cables As Well As
Mechanical Services Like Water And Gas Piping. Direct Lightning Strikes May Be
Connected.

◦ Indirect Effects-as Well As Direct Lightning Strikes, Indirect Effects Can Also Be
Damaging. For Example If Lightning Strikes A Building Or Any Of The Services
Mentioned Above, Transient Over Voltages May Be Caused Through Resistive,
Inductive And Capacitive Coupling.
◦ Over Voltages Caused By Feedback From Earth-the Lightning Current That Falls On
A Lightning Conductor Causes An Increase In The Earth Potential Of The Installation,
Which Will Cause An Overvoltage Between The Earthing System And The Internal
Lines Within The Installation
◦ Voltage Induced By Electromagnetic Induction-the Lightning Discharge Current,
Whether By Direct Strike Or Carried By A Lightning Conductor Down Conductor,
Generates A Field Whose Electrical And Magnetic Components Reach Considerable
Values: Several Kv/M And Several Tens Of Microtesla (Μt).
MITIGATION MEASURES
If The Weather Forecast Calls For Thunderstorms, Postpone Your Trip Or Activity.

• Remember: When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors. Find A Safe, Enclosed Shelter. Safe
Shelters Include Homes, Offices, Shopping Centers, And Hard-top Vehicles With The
Windows Rolled Up.

• Don’t Forget The 30-30 Rule. After You See Lightning, Start Counting To 30. If You
Hear Thunder Before You Reach 30, Go Indoors. Suspend Activities For At Least 30
Minutes After The Last Clap Of Thunder.

• If You Are Caught In An Open Area, Act Quickly To Find Adequate Shelter. The Most
Important Action Is To Remove Yourself From Danger. Crouching Or Getting Low To
The Ground Can Reduce Your Chances Of Being Struck But Does Not Remove You
From Danger. If You Are Caught Outside With No Safe Shelter Nearby, The
Following Actions May Reduce Your Risk:

• Immediately Get Off Elevated Areas Such As Hills, Mountain Ridges, Or Peaks.

• Never Lie Flat On The Ground. Crouch Down In A Ball-like Position With Your Head
Tucked And Hands Over Your Ears So That You Are Down Low With Minimal
Contact With The Ground.
• Never Shelter Under An Isolated Tree.

• Never Use A Cliff Or Rocky Overhang For Shelter.

• Immediately Get Out Of And Away From Ponds, Lakes, And Other Bodies Of Water.

• Stay Away From Objects That Conduct Electricity (Such As Barbed Wire Fences, Power Lines, Or Windmills).

• Stay Away From Concrete Floors Or Walls. Lightning Can Travel Through Any Metal Wires Or Bars In Concrete Walls
Or Flooring

PREVENTIVE MEASURES
Avoid contact with water during a thunderstorm. Do NOT bathe, shower, wash dishes, or have
any other contact with water during a thunderstorm. Lightning can travel through plumbing.

• Avoid using electronic equipment of all types. Lightning can travel through electrical systems
and radio and television reception systems.
• Avoid using corded phones. Corded phones are NOT safe to use during a thunderstorm.
However, cordless or cellular phones are safe to use during a storm.
• Avoid concrete floors and walls. Do NOT lie on concrete floors during a thunderstorm. Also,
avoid leaning on concrete walls.
Lightning can travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or
flooring.
• Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges, or peaks.
• Never lie flat on the ground. Crouch down in a ball-like position with your
head tucked and hands over your ears so that you
are down low with minimal contact with the ground.
• Never shelter under an isolated tree.
• Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter.
• Immediately get out of and away from ponds, lakes, and other bodies of
water.
• Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power
lines, windmills, etc.).