Strikes. Direct strike – the person is part of a flash channel. Enormous quantities of energy pass through the body very quickly, resulting in internal burns, organ damage, explosions of flesh and bone, and nervous system damage.

About 5 to 10 percent of lightnings are “positive lightning,” which is the most dangerous kind. These do not strike under the thunderstorm, but rather next to it. In that case, the distance that lightning has to travel through the air is many times greater, requiring much more energy.

What Color Lightning is the Strongest?

• Blue – this color of lightning is an indication that a high precipitation storm is occurring with chances of hail.
• Purple – this color of lightning occurs when there is high humidity in the atmosphere and is typically accompanied by high precipitation.

A 440-mile-long “Megaflash” Enters the Record Books as the Longest Lightning Bolt Ever Observed.

The Krakatoa volcanic eruption: Not only did it cause serious damage to the island, the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 created the loudest sound ever reported at 180 dB. It was so loud it was heard 3,000 miles (5,000 km) away.

The high lightning areas are on land located in the tropics. Areas with almost no lightning are the Arctic and Antarctic, closely followed by the oceans which have only 0.1 to 1 strikes/km2/yr.

As electrical fields pass through the ice crystals, they become polarized and align, generating energy that is discharged when lightning flashes—at times creating so much energy that a bolt can heat the air it passes through to 50,000°F.

Thunderstorms are unlikely over Antarctica because thunderstorms generally require instability and moisture, both of which are rare at the polar south. If you live where there’s snow in the winter, you may have noticed how it rarely, if ever, thunders during the winter. This is the reason why.