Where Does Lightning Come From?

If a certain bad weather condition has been observed by the scientists (on their monitors) especially those with potential threat of causing significant damages, a "Severe Thunderstorm Warning" will be issued to the affected residential areas. Those scientists are more specifically known as the "Storm Spotters". They are actually professionals where they can detect the early stage of development of a severe thunderstorm.

What storm spotters use in detecting a thunderstorm is a sophisticated technology known as the "Doppler Weather Radar". This advance equipment has the capability to analyze and determine any possible formation of a thunderstorm with impressive accuracy. But the most remarkable capability of this technology is that, it can also predict if the storm has the potential to produce dangerous large forms of hails, tornadoes and strong winds.

The organization that issues Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in the US are the NWS or "National Weather Service". In Canada, it's the "Environment Canada's Meteorological Service of Canada". And at the UK (United Kingdom), they have the "Skywarn".

Criteria of a Severe Thunderstorm

Not all thunderstorm are destructive. In fact, severe thunderstorm rarely occurs. Anyway, here are the following conditions of a thunderstorm before it can be considered as Severe:

Based on the United State's NWS

1. The thunderstorm must have large hails composing of at least 1 inch in sizes.

2. The speed of the surface winds must be at least 58 miles per hour or higher.

3. A combination of the two criteria above.

Based on Environment Canada's Meteorological Service of Canada

1. Wind gusts should be greater than 90 kilometers per hour.

2. Diameter of the hail must be greater than 20 mm.

3. In an hour of continuous rainfall, the size of the rainfall drops must be at least 50 mm. A size of 75 mm is observed after 3 hours (provided that the rainfall didn't stopped).

Based on UK's Skywarn

1. The minimum speed of the wind goes 55 miles per hour (89 km/h).

2. The minim hail size must be at least 20 mm (0.79 in).

Take note: Lightning and floods caused by heavy rainfall is not considered by the United States, Canada and UK as a potential criteria of a severe thunderstorm.

Destructive Tornado of a Thunderstorm

One of the most terrifying aspect of a thunderstorm is it can produce a tornado without warning. Tornadoes had already shown in the history its very destructive force. It causes terrible calamities where countless number of residential homes were completely destroyed. But, did you know that there is even far and much worse force of nature than the tornado that a severe thunderstorm can produce?

It's the "Straight Line Wind Damage". This force of nature is actually far more devastating than the tornado because the damages that it can incur cover wider areas.

Doppler Weather Radar System

Storm spotters don't usually go out in the field and chase tornadoes around just to perform their analysis. It's because through their Doppler Weather Radar system, they can now monitor the formation of the thunderstorm via Satellite View. In most cases, if they notice some kind of large circling rotation of the clouds on their equipment's monitor, they will immediately issue a tornado warning.

The Doppler Weather Radar technology actually detects the formation of a thunderstorm which is the main basis of its analysis. A thunderstorm that is producing weak rotation means that it will yield a hazardous weather condition. On this case, the affected residences are warned about the storm and advised to keep a close observation as it might surprisingly become stronger resulting into a threat.

In the Great Plains or Southeastern Regions of the U.S., Doppler Weather Radar often fails to detect the occurrences of severe thunderstorms that can produce tornadoes. It's because tornadoes can be produced by the terrible storm without warning. Worst, storms in the Great Plains can also produce massive hailstones with sizes of about 2. 75 inches or larger. Just to let you know, there were already several victims of hailstones in which most of them resulted into a condition known as "blunt trauma".


Moreover, storms spotters can be mistaken. At some instances, they even issue the Severe Thunderstorm Warning quite late. Thus, the best method is to make your own observation. Through constant practice and experience, you can easily predict the outcome of the thunderstorm on your own.

It is not actually possible that a lightning can directly strike you inside your own house because you are well protected by your house's rooftop, walls and windows. But not unless, there's an opening that invites the lightning to come inside.

There was one accident that occurred in the past where the victim was struck by lightning while inside her room. The incident occurred during the summer thunderstorm at Chippenham, Wiltshire and the victim was a 49 years-old nurse, "Jennifer Lyons".

According to the report, Jennifer was inside her room having a conversation on her cellular phone. You have to know that any wireless devices that emits microwave signal can attract lightning. In addition to her mobile phone, the window of her room was opened.

A sudden powerful lightning suddenly struck the nearby Satellite Dish outside Jennifer's house but the remaining electrical discharge was diverted to the victim. According to Jennifer, the lightning bolt struck her head but for some reason, she miraculously survived without suffering any serious injury.

Aside from making a wireless phone call near an open window of your house, there are also other possible means that the electrical discharge of the lightning can travel inside. In most cases, the electrical current can find its way through the conducive materials or parts of your house.

Here are some common possible mediums or conductors on how a lightning can penetrate inside your house:

1. Telephone Cable Wires

We are specifically referring about those corded-type of telephones connected to a long cable wire. If you are going to follow the long cable wire, you will find out that its connected from the "Power Lines" nearby your house. You have to know that power lines are an attraction to lightning strikes. So if it happens that you are using your telephone and at an unfortunate event, a lightning suddenly struck the power line. As a result, the excessive amount of electrical current induced by the lightning will travel into the telephone's cable wires where you will end up getting electrocuted.

Thus, the best advice is to avoid using your telephone during a bad thunderstorm. If you really need to make an emergency call, use your mobile phone but stay away from the windows when you use it.

2. Plumbing

Plumbing refers to the pipes, drain fittings, valves and other metallic tubes responsible for the distribution of the water supply around your house. And just like the cable wires, a lightning's electrical discharge can travel through them.

One of the qualities of lightning that has been discovered by the scientists is that, lightning tends to be attracted by the most conducive type of materials. Most plumbing materials are made of metallic elements which makes them a perfect conductor. So if it happens that the water-pipes outside your house (which goes inside your house) are not buried deep enough the ground, the lightning's electrical discharge can reach them allowing the current to travel inside your house. Due to this reason, you should stay away from your bath tub, shower and toilets during a bad thunderstorm.

3. Windows

Most houses today are built with metallic window frames. But as already mentioned above, lightning has the characteristic of being attracted by conducive materials such as metals. Thus, it is highly advised that you should stay away from the windows during a thunderstorm.

4. Electronic Devices

It is not actually just your corded telephone and mobile phones that can possibly attract lightning inside your house but all other electronic devices. Some of them includes your TV, computer, refrigerator and etc...

Common to all of the electronic devices is that you need to plug them into the "Wall-Outlet". You have to know that your house's electrical outlets are also connected into the power lines.


Overall, a lightning cannot directly strike you inside your house but it can possibly get inside through various means such as those that has been discussed above.

Some curious individuals such as "Benjamin Franklin" are actually curious to know how to attract lightning. What Benjamin did in the past was that, he used a kite during a thunderstorm on his attempt of attracting lightning. It is really a huge thanks to him who was filled with a lot of curiosity that provided us the answers that we seek today.

Here are the following methods on how to attract lighting:

1. Stand in an Open Field


- During a bad thunderstorm, go into an open field without any tall structures, trees or poles around. This will increase your chances of being hit by a lightning. What you have to do is to stand straight and still on one spot. It really doesn't matter what clothes you are wearing or objects that you are holding on your hands.

2. Use a Lighting Rod

- Most tall buildings today are actually designed by the engineers with lightning rod system. The lightning rod works by attracting lighting then redirecting all the electrical currents down into the ground to be discharged.

You can also build your own lightning rod system. Simply take any long metallic poles out on an open field. What works best are those analog radio or TV antennas. And just like what has been mentioned above (stand in an open field), take your long pole and point it towards the sky and simply wait for the lightning to strike you down.

3. Lighting Loves to Strike Males

- To tell you, males are more likely to be struck by lightning. Based from the latest conducted survey, researchers had found out that almost 82% of lighting incidents were male victims. Worst, 84% of the lightning victims that died were also males.

If you are a female and it happens that you want to attract lighting, you should ask your boyfriend to come along with you and perhaps have some picnic out in the middle of an open field during a bad thunderstorm.

4. Tallest Building


- If there is no open field around your area wherein it is highly populated with buildings then what you have to do is to search for the tallest structure. Go to the top of the tallest building and do the same procedure as mentioned in number 1 or 2. If the building has its own lightning rod system then you may also want to hold onto it.

5. Tall Tree


- Tall trees also attract lightning because they do have water content inside them. You have to know that water and other forms of moisture contents inside a tree do conduct electricity and it's what lighting are really looking for.

Unlike the method in the tall building, you don't have to climb to the top of the tree. Either simply sit and relax by leaning on the tree or hug it like you momma.

Attracting lighting is actually a very easy task but seriously who would want to be struck by lightning? For whatever reasons that you have, lighting is always best attracted by offering it a highly conducive material such as metal and salt water.

As a piece of advice, simply stay away from lighting because its highly dangerous. You may want to consider using batteries or your home outlets instead since they do produce similar type of electricity. They only do vary in terms of the amount of electrical currents.