Why Should I Care

According to the Lightning Protection Institute, lightning is the leading storm-related killer in the U.S...

Each year lightning is responsible for tragic deaths, devastating injuries and costly property damage. A direct lightning strike can explode brick and roofing, puncture gas piping and ignite fires. Direct and indirect lightning strikes cause destructive surges through your home’s electrical wiring. Unfortunately, fires in countless homes and structures in the U.S. .occurs more often than people realize.  Reports indicate that it only takes a single lightning strike to spark a devastating fire or worse. 

Cloud-To-Ground flash densities by state measured by the National Detection Network (NLSN) shows that Florida leads the nation with an average 21 lightning strikes per square miles as indicated by the attached table.. 

Bottom-line - these statistics indicate that we can expect almost 700 lightning Cloud-To-Ground flash's in The Villages Community this year. 

  A cloud-to-ground lightning bolt's main objective is to find the path of least resistance from the cloud to deep into the ground.   Most houses are filled with many potential routes for lightning to follow in its journey.   This can include gas and water pipes, electric lines, phone lines, cable TV/internet lines, gutters, downspouts, metal window frames - anything conductive in a house is 'fair game' for the lightning to follow.   Lightning doesn't need conductive objects to reach ground, however - it's just forged its way through miles of air, so conductive objects in a house are a mere 'convenience' that it will use if they are available. 

Lightning passing through a house will often 'branch' and utilize more than one path to ground at a time.   It can also jump through the air from one conductive path to another in what is called a side flash.  For example, lightning may first connect to electric lines in the attic of a house, then jump to better-grounded water pipes on the first or second floor.  Lightning can connect to gutters, then jump to a window frame as a 'stepping stone' to the electrical system or water pipes.  All or part of bolts have been seen jumping from wall outlets to sink faucets and even across rooms!

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