How Far Does Lightning Travel Through the Ground

Information technology is not ever possible to know exactly how a victim has been struck, but here is a list of ways that lightning strikes its victims. Any of these types of strikes can be deadly. Firsthand medical attention, including calling 911, starting CPR, and using an AED, may be critically important to go along the person alive until more advanced medical intendance arrives.

Straight Strike

A person struck directly by lightning becomes a part of the primary lightning belch channel. Almost oftentimes, directly strikes occur to victims who are in open up areas. Direct strikes are not as common as the other ways people are struck by lightning, but they are potentially the most deadly. In about direct strikes, a portion of the current moves forth and just over the skin surface (chosen flashover) and a portion of the current moves through the torso--usually through the cardiovascular and/or nervous systems. The heat produced when lightning moves over the peel tin produce burns, merely the electric current moving through the body is of greatest concern. While the ability to survive any lightning strike is related to immediate medical attention, the amount of current moving through the body is also a factor.

Side Wink

A side wink (also called a side splash) occurs when lightning strikes a taller object near the victim and a portion of the current jumps from taller object to the victim. In essence, the person acts equally a "short circuit" for some of energy in the lightning discharge. Side flashes mostly occur when the victim is within a foot or two of the object that is struck. About often, side wink victims take taken shelter under a tree to avert rain or hail.

Ground Electric current

When lightning strikes a tree or other object, much of the energy travels outward from the strike in and forth the ground surface. This is known as the ground current. Anyone outside near a lightning strike is potentially a victim of ground electric current. In addition, ground current can travels in garage floors with conductive materials. Because the ground current affects a much larger area than the other causes of lightning casualties, the ground current causes the most lightning deaths and injuries.Ground electric current also kills many farm animals. Typically, the lightning enters the body at the contact point closest to the lightning strike, travels through the cardiovascular and/or nervous systems, and exits the torso at the contact indicate uttermost from the lightning. The greater the distance between contact points, the greater the potential for death or serious injury. Because large farm animals have a relatively large body-span, ground current from a nearby lightning strike is ofttimes fatal to livestock.

Conduction

Lightning can travel long distances in wires or other metallic surfaces. Metal does non attract lightning, but it provides a path for the lightning to follow. Near indoor lightning casualties and some outdoor casualties are due to conduction. Whether inside or exterior, anyone in contact with anything connected to metal wires, plumbing, or metallic surfaces that extend outside is at risk. This includes anything that plugs into an electric outlet, h2o faucets and showers, corded phones, and windows and doors.

Streamers

While not as common as the other types of lightning injuries, people caught in "streamers" are at risk of existence killed or injured past lightning. Streamers develop as the downward-moving leader approaches the ground. Typically, only ane of the streamers makes contact with the leader every bit it approaches the ground and provides the path for the vivid return stroke; however, when the chief channel discharges, then do all the other streamers in the area. If a person is part of i of these streamers, they could be killed or injured during the streamer discharge fifty-fifty though the lightning channel was not completed between the cloud and the upward streamer. Meet Robert's story every bit an example of a streamer injury.

For more on the science of lightning:

National Severe Storms Laboratory
NWS Colorado Lightning Program
Florida Lightning Data Heart
NWS Jetstream Lightning Tutor
NASA International Lightning Strike Maps