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We have a few questions concerning lightning. One, do large bodies of water dissipate lightning's energy, or has it been known to strike the bottom? Two, does lightning ever dissipate before it reaches the ground? Or does it always hit the ground? We would appreciate it if you could provide us with an answer! Thank you!
-Susan & Char S.
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Lightning is beautiful but dangerous for sure. We've had a lot of it lately so it's definitely timely to answer a few Q's on this subject.
When lightning strikes water, it does spread out, how far it goes, is still a good question. Lightning science is still a field that's relatively new and studies are always ongoing. Greg Forbes a severe weather expert from the Weather Channel says that it should spread out about 20 feet from the stirke, but a good distance to stay away is 6 miles for general safety! I do not believe the lightning hits the bottom, rather the electricity is spread out over the water. If lightning hits the ground, it can be dangerous out to 100 feet.
Not all lightning comes from the cloud to the surface of the earth. Cloud to cloud lightning is very common, in this case the lightning strike would not hit the ground. If you are from a safe distance watching a storm, you can witness this pretty often.
Lightning is dangerous, if you are on a lake, you should have a weather radio and if you know a storm is coming, then either come to shore to a sturdy shelter and if you don't have one, then get inside your car. This also works if you are at a park and have no where to go.
A lightning strike can travel 10 miles from a thunderstorm and all thunderstorms contain lightning. There have been about 60 fatalities since 1950 and over 140 injuries. Utah ranks #2 on the lightning fatalities per million people for the 50 states according to the National Lightning Safety Institute when considering years from 1990 to 2003.
Answered by KSL Meteorologist Dina Freedman.
