Lightning never strikes the same place twice
You look outside. The clouds are forming the rain drops are falling and… Bam! You here thunder rumble in the air with a dash of light. You see it again strike in another place. That makes you wonder, does lightning strike the same place twice. Lets burst this balloon to find out.
What is Lightning?
Lightning is a giant electrical spark that forms with opposite charges. Lightning comes in five steps. First the particles in a cloud rub together, like rubbing a balloon on your head. Since the particles are rubbing against each other they form charges. Lighter particles are normally positive charges, whereas heavier particles are negative charges , which sinks to the bottom. Then, the cloud that holds these charges becomes a giant battery in the sky, with positive charges in the top and heavier charges in the bottom. After that the negative charges repel the electrons below making the ground to build a positive charge that reaches to the clouds. Then, when the resistance of the charges gets too big the air (conductor) can't hold it any more causing the charges to break through to create lightning.
Does lightning strike the same place twice?
Yes, lightning can strike the same place twice, especially tall buildings or structures. This was an old saying and not based on science, that was passed down from beliefs. Lightning is random on where it strikes and picks the easiest or strongest path. Tall objects get hit by lightning repeatedly. Any places with good conductors attract lightning. Charges from the lightning are also attracted to sharp points and objects. In fact, the Empire State building gets hit by lightning 20-25 times per year.
Fun facts
Lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun by five times. Lightning strikes Earth about 8 million times per day. In the US, the chances of being hit by lightning is 1 in 15000. That is low but not zero!
Sources
NY1 – "How our tallest buildings handle lightning strikes"
CBS News – "Caught On Video: Lightning Strikes Empire State Building"
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/empire-state-building-lightning/
Count how many time we say lightning and email us for a surprise!