Lightning by the Numbers

A typical lightning bolt carries 1,000 to 300,000 amps.
A typical lightning bolt is rated at up to 125 million volts.
The “average” lightning bolt is very hot. 15,000° C (the surface of the sun is 6,000° C).

Lightning bolts can travel 10 miles or more.
Lightning strikes travel at 1,000 feet/second. Sound and thunder travel at 750 feet/second.
Lightning strikes the earth more than 8 million times per day.
Lightning strikes the continental US 90,000,000 times per year.
Lightning causes an estimated $5 billion in property damage per year in the US.

A 50’ tall building in an average lightning activity has a .25 probability of being struck in any given year.
Lightning in an average year kills 58 people in the US.
Lightning causes over 75,000 forest fires per year in the US.
Lightning causes 30.2% of church fires per year in the US.
Lightning is the leading cause of lumber yard fires.

Lightning kills or injures three times more men than women (no surprise – right, gals?)
You have a one in 6,000 chance of being struck by lightning in any given year. (The odds of winning the powerball lottery are 1:146,107,962. The odds of being attacked by a shark are 1 in 9 million; 1 in 400 million for a fatal attack.)