GREENVILLE, N.C. — Kernersville and Greensboro have about 19 miles between them. This means, if there is a storm in one of those towns, folks in the other need to be aware lightning can strike in their area! Yes, lightning can travel up to 20 miles.
Check out the lighting situation on a Florida highway. A lightning bolt hit the antenna of a car while the driver was going down the highway. Troopers say the lightning burned the asphalt as it exited, the mark is seven feet long!
“I felt the sound, the sound, boom,” said the driver.
It's not often you hear about cars being hit, but I know I think about lightning hitting the plane whenever I’m flying. Here’s the science, when
lightning strikes a plane, the lightning takes the path of least resistance.
The conductive metal keeps the electricity away from the interior of the plane. Commercial planes are hit about once a year.
Idea: Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
FICTION: WFMY News 2's Chief Meteorologist Tim Buckley says lightning can hit the same spot as often as it wants to. It usually strikes the tallest thing in an area. Think of a tall tree or TV tower. Additionally, the National Weather Service reports the Empire State Building is hit an average of 23 times a year.
Idea: It is not safe to shower during a lightning storm.
FACT: The National Weather Service advises against taking a bath, shower or using any other plumbing during the storm. If you have metal pipes lightning could strike your plumbing and conduct electricity all the way to your sink, shower or bathtub.
Idea: If lightning strikes while you're outside, you should lie flat on the ground.
FICTION: Lying flat on the ground actually increases your chances of being hit by a deadly ground current, according to the National Weather Service. The best place to go during a lightning storm is inside.
Idea: Your car is a safe place to be during a lightning storm.
FACT: The NWS says most cars are safe, but not for the reason you might be thinking. They report it's the metal on your car, NOT the rubber tires that keep an electrical current away from you. If lightning hits a vehicle, it goes through the metal straight into the ground.