Fear of Lightning Frequency Increase

Lightning frequency increase…very few consider that they or their assets will be struck by lightning. People relegate the threat of lightning to chance and are confident it will not affect them. This is a mentality that may come back to haunt them if new scientific research is correct.

Lightning! Incredible to view, frustrating to be affected by and fatal in proximity. We take a look at the beauty, strength and danger of lightning.

Awesome Spectacle

From the safety of a bedroom miles away people took the moment to capture a natural display of power. Fantastic photographs were taken and shared – all displaying colourful bolts of lightning. These pictures only make us stand in awe of its beauty and terrifying power.

The Science

Research has shown that global warming may cause an alarming lightning frequency increase around the world. For every 1 degree increase in temperature, the frequency of lightning strikes will increase by 12%!

Additionally, it’s also calculate that for every 2 lightning strikes in the year 2000, there will be three in the year 2100. A staggering increase caused by our modern day lifestyle.

The Damage

Therefore not only will this increase the number of wildfires to an almost uncontainable level for fire services. It will also damage the enviornment and ozone layer due to the greehouse gases which are produced.

If this increase were to happen tomorrow there would be more lightning, more rail delays, more fires, more infrastructure damage and potentially many more deaths. Lightning is a serious danger.

Catastrophic Effects

Let’s set the scene. So, it’s 4pm on Friday, workers are leaving the office looking forward to the weekend but when they arrive at Paddington Station only chaos greets them.

Lightning had directly struck the rail line in the Surbiton area of South West London causing huge disruption and delays of 2 hours! All routes to the South West of England had been severely delayed with many trains being cancelled entirely.

Offering reduced services, rail companies tried to cope however as the picture shows, people were crowded, frustrated and helpless.

Lightning Devastation

Across the pond in California, it was a nice calm day at the beach. Swimmers and surfers in the sea, children building sand castles and dogs chasing tennis balls like a ball boy at Wimbledon. However that is until a black cloud covered the sky…

It sounded like “Just one big explosion” as one witness recalls as they described the sound of lightning directly striking the water.

The strike electrified the water, stunning all swimmers injuring 13 people and tragically killing one man.

Those swimmers were at the mercy of nature and it is a cold reminder that Mother Nature is much more powerful than we give credit.

The solution

Therefore if the research is correct then there is little that can be done to prevent this lightning frequency increase from happening. Nevertheless we can all prepare and protect the assets and the people we love.

GreyMatters specialise in electrical discharge prevention systems by protecting buildings and critical assets and can guarantee they will not be struck by lightning for 25 years. It is our aim to protect an many lives as possible from the threat of lightning.

Although lightning may be becoming more frequent, GreyMatters has the tools, experience and expertise to help remove it’s threat! Using specialist high frequency software, we can monitor the effects of a strike on facilities as seen in this clip

This video shows 4 µs (4 millionths of a second) of a strike impact and the change in voltage to the nearby electrical grid.

With our systems we can protect assets, but more importantly…people, to ensure that incidents such as California are rare, freak occurrences. At GreyMatters we save lives – don’t take the risk.

Ever wondered what to do during a Thunderstorm? Read our When Lightning Strikes – Safety Guide to find out.

Sources and images

• Demotix
• BBC
• Daily Mail