Why is knowing where lightning strikes important?
At any time, 2,000 thunderstorms are occurring around the world, producing lightning that strikes the earth up to 100 times every second. Every time it reaches the earth’s surface, it makes an enormous impact, causing power and telecommunications outages, forest and building fires, damage to aircraft and sensitive electronics, and deaths. The better we can pinpoint lightning, the better we can reduce its negative impact. We know that over 20 million flashes strike the ground in the United States every year. And most of them hit more than one point on the ground. While the problems caused by lightning often happen to one person or to one building at a time, it adds up to cause as much damage and as many casualties as any other storm hazard.
