I was born and raised in southwestern desert, and until you experience it for yourself, you would never believe the beauty and the power when the monsoons come. The lightning across the desert sky is absolutely mesmerizing and incredibly beautiful, although it can be slightly terrifying at the same time. I remember one particular storm where we had rolling thunder, where the percussion would roll one right into another, vibrating our entire house for more than an hour. The lightning strikes were so consistent that it looked like Mother Nature turned on a strobe light in the sky and it made you think that the end of the world was near. It was the most amazing storm I have ever seen! Everyone knows it’s possible to be struck by lightning, but rarely do you think it will happen to you. With lightning strikes, not everyone who is struck by lightning perishes. Some live to tell their tale and show their scars! Here are some amazing stories from survivors as well as beautiful pictures of lighting and its victims:
Tony Cicoria is a board certified orthopedic surgeon who had no interest in music until he was struck by lightning while holding onto a payphone during a storm in 1994. Since his near death experience he has begun composing music and is an accomplished pianist.
Roy Sullivan was a Park Ranger in Virginia who was unlucky enough to be hit by lightning on 7 different occasions between 1942 and 1977! He has definitely earned his nickname “The Human Lightning Rod”.
Adam Campbell not only survived when he was struck by lightning while running at the Colorado 100 meter race, but he finished the race and came in 3rd place!
Kendra Villanueva was struck by lightning while watching fireworks on Independence Day while pregnant with her daughter Kimberly Gordan. She was rushed to the hospital where they performed a caesarian section to deliver the baby that was due to be born in a few weeks. They nicknamed Kimberly, “Little Flash Gordan”.
Edwin E Robinson had lost his sight in an automobile accident and wore a hearing aid, but when he was struck by lighting that bounced off a tree while he was looking for his pet chicken in the rain, the lightning strike restored both his sight and his hearing!
If you’re going to get struck by lightning, you might as well have a beautiful scar to go along with your story!
Scars from a lightning strike are called Lichtenberg figures and make floral-like images caused by the electrical discharge from the lightning strike (and can also be caused by other types of electrocution with high voltage). Without knowing these were due to lightning strikes, I would have thought they were tattoos.
Did you know that lightning strikes somewhere on Earth every second?
The average temperature of lightning is around 36000 °F.
You can’t have thunder without lightning. The sound of the thunder is actually caused by lightning. Basically how this works is that a charged, superheated lightning bolt creates a tube as it travels. The air in this tube expands and contracts rapidly, which then causes the vibrations that you know as thunder.
Lightning kills about 2,000 people a year.
Most lightning strikes are about 2-3 miles long on average.
Lightning is only about the size of a quarter or half dollar in size, but it packs a might big punch!
Although having stories and scars like the ones mentioned above would be amazing, just remember that it’s not worth the risk of death! If you hear thunder or see lightning, it is best to go indoors!