Roy C. Sullivan of Virgina, USA, would certainly have been able to tell you a thing or two about this. During his life he was struck by lightning seven times over a period of thirty-five years. This makes him unique and in a way very lucky, because lightning can kill.
Lightning and thunder usually occur in humid weather when strong winds begin blowing and large clouds appear in the sky. Inside these clouds huge charges of electricity build up. When they are eventually released they zigzag to earth as flashes of lightning.
Lightning finds the shortest route to the ground. This is why it often strikes tall trees and buildings. Trees can be set on fire by lightning, and buildings have to be protected by lightning conductors which carry the electrical charge safely to earth.
Sheltering under trees during a thunderstorm can be dangerous. Walking across a flat, empty landscape can be risky too, as you are likely to be the tallest thing around.
As lightning passes through the air, it heats it to a very high temperature very quickly. The air expands, causing a violent bang – thunder. A flash of lightning and its clap of thunder happen at the same time, but because light travels much faster than sound, we see the flash before we hear the thunder. You can tell how far away a storm is by the gap between the two. The longer the gap, the further away the storm. If the gap gets shorter, the storm is moving towards you. And if the two happen almost simultaneously, the storm is right above you. So watch out. Remember what happened to Roy C. Sullivan.
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