Chance to be struck by lightning. What does a person feel when lightning strikes him. Variety of natural elements

Material prepared
Ekaterina Sivkova

Every week, Look At Me deconstructs a popular misconception and tries to figure out why it is so attractive to most people, who advocates it, and, in the end, why it is not true. In this new episode, we explain why lightning is more likely to strike the same place twice than we think.

Statement:

Lightning doesn't strike the same place twice.

According to the US National Weather Service, the probability of being struck by lightning in a person is low - only 1 in 600,000. In the United States, about 600 people a year die from lightning strikes, and even less - 500 people in Russia. For comparison: according to scientists at the University of Michigan, the global average death rate in road accidents is 18 people per 100,000. In most languages ​​of the world, there is even a stable expression about lightning, which does not strike the same place twice. Most people take this figure of speech at face value, because the likelihood of the same event occurring twice in a row is considered quite low. Some of the sayings are playful:

Willie Tyler

comedian
and ventriloquist

"Lightning doesn't strike the same place twice because it's not the same place the second time."

Why is it not:

The probability that lightning will strike the same place twice is 45%, not 0%, as is commonly believed.

The fact that tall objects are an attractive target for lightning has long been known to scientists. During a thunderstorm, lightning hits buildings 500 meters or more high 4 to 6 times. Thus, on average, one tall building receives from 40 to 90 lightning strikes per year. This in itself destroys the misconception that lightning does not strike the same place twice.

But when scientists William Valin and Philip Kreider of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Arizona analyzed video footage of lightning flashes in local city Tucson for the summer of 1997, they were able to establish that in 136 out of 386 flashes (35%) lightning struck the same place on the ground two or more times. Physicists also came to the following conclusion: after the first strike, lightning will strike 10-100 meters from this place with a probability of 67%.

Killed by thunderstorms. Scientists investigate the causes and conditions of their occurrence, develop tactics of behavior during a thunderstorm. However, lightning statistics still record a high degree of injury and death from electrical discharges.

How is a discharge formed?

Lightning is a powerful discharge of electricity that usually occurs during a thunderstorm, is accompanied by thunder and manifests itself as a bright flash. The strength of lightning reaches from 10 to 500 thousand amperes, and the voltage - from 10 million to 1 billion volts. Such a discharge causes serious harm up to the death of the victim. Lightning statistics inform about 2000 lightning events occurring daily around the world.

The nature of lightning is cloudy vapor from water, cools and solidifies in the form of crystals from ice. Air currents lift small pieces of ice up and collide them with larger formations that tend to settle below. The process of collision is accompanied by the release of electrical discharges - from small elements "+", and from large pieces of ice "-". With a large accumulation, an area with an increased level of ion concentration is formed.

When the difference between the charged particles becomes large, a lightning strike occurs in the cloud. An increased concentration of ions occurs in rain clouds of a cumulus or stratus type, during an eruption, tornado) and desert storms.

Variety of natural elements

Lightning statistics describe several different lightning strikes, which are distinguished by how they strike and in what place. Known types of lightning:

1. Linear. The rumble in the sky looks like an inverted tree with a main channel and short offshoots. The length of the discharge is not less than 20 km. The impact force is about 20 thousand amperes. The discharge speed reaches 148–150 km/h.
2. Pearl. It is a continuation of the linear discharge. However, such lightning in the sky looks like precious beads, located at a certain distance from each other. Such manifestations are extremely rare. Statistics of deaths from discharges of this type are not kept.
3. Lightning inside a cloud. The discharges are accompanied by a change in the magnetic and electric fields and radio wave radiation. Can such lightning strike an aircraft? Yes, if it is electrified. When a discharge hits the board, it can occur. Such grades are usually meet closer to the equator.
4. Lightning on the ground. The discharge is formed in several stages. Lightning statistics show that the main reason for their formation is the rapid ionization of air. The particles pick up speed due to the action of the electric field and collide with air currents, creating streamers - an avalanche of electrons. They form a thermally insulated discharge that reaches the surface, bypassing various obstacles at a speed of 50,000 km/sec. After the path has been completely passed, the discharge light dims. The second stage consists in the repeated passage of the trajectory. The final discharge will be the brightest and strongest. The electrical formation channel has a temperature of 25,000 degrees. The consequences after a lightning strike are very devastating due to its duration.
5. Fireball. She is dangerous because of its unpredictability. What does ball lightning look like? Some claim that it is white or yellow, up to a bright green color, others speak of a black tint. It appears due to the large accumulation of energy in the cloud and may be a continuation of the initial electrical discharge. Death statistics from ball lightning in Russia is not conducted.
6. lightning sprite. It was opened in the late 80s. It differs in height from 50 to 128 km and in diameter up to 100 km. The flash of an electric discharge looks like a column of light located vertically. It often appears in a group and has a red color.

If the color of electrical discharges is different, then the smell of lightning is the same. Sulfur and ozone aroma is felt in the air.

Why does lightning flash? Due to the high voltage between the ions, a mini explosion occurs. As a result, the discharge is illuminated from within.

What are the statistics of lightning strikes in a person? Every year, 240,000 people are reported to be injured.

Ways of manifestation

The formation of a discharge is always accompanied by a sound effect. Lightning without thunder cannot physically exist. Sometimes in nature you can observe lightning - when a thundercloud is at a great distance from the earth and the sound simply does not reach.

Lightning strike statistics reports that the possibility of defeating a person is 1: 600 thousand.

Degree of damage

There are four levels of severity:

1. Medium. Manifested by short-term convulsions, with respiratory and cardiac impairment, but without loss of consciousness. If lightning strikes a person, then deep burns and muscle tears remain on his body.
2. heavy. It is manifested by strong convulsive contractions, loss of consciousness, impaired cardiac and respiratory function.
3. Very heavy. Manifested by loss of consciousness, requires cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
4. Immediate death.

The statistics of deaths from lightning strikes are disappointing. According to the National Weather Service, men died in 80% of cases. Most of the cases are associated with the stay of people on the water when a thunderstorm raged.

Can lightning strike a person who hid under a tree? Yes, trees attract electricity.

Actions in an emergency

What to do if a person is struck by lightning? Call an ambulance and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Later, doctors will carry out a set of rescue measures. If necessary, they will intubate the trachea, provide an oxygen mask, administer intravenous sedatives (diazepam, morphine or ketamine), and apply a bandage to burns.

Are there known cases of human survival? The statistics of lightning strikes on a person recorded an American ranger who survived after seven direct hits.

No one still knows why lightning strikes a person. If the discharge hit the head, then the person dies immediately. After the defeat of other parts of the body, scars of a bizarre shape usually remain.

From lightning in Russia recorded the instant death of people who used mobile phones during a thunderstorm. According to unofficial data, about 550 people die in Russia every year.

Doesn't hit the same place twice

A beautiful natural phenomenon can be dangerous not only in open space, but also in a residential building. When there is thunder and lightning outside the window, it's time to think about your own safety.

Can lightning strike through a window? If it's closed, then it can't. Entry into the house occurs through electrical communications and ventilation openings. Sometimes a small draft is enough for ball lightning to fly into the house. How she will behave is impossible to predict.

What to do with lightning? You can not approach her and turn your back. If possible, you need to move to the side of the flight path. It is also forbidden to throw any objects at it.

The best lightning protection is shelter in place with little ground contact. It is advisable to use insulating materials such as stone, tent or backpack. You need to get away from trees, tall metal structures. A lightning rod should be installed on the house and household appliances should not be used during a thunderstorm.

The impact of lightning on everything earthly happens quite often so that a person does not forget about the serious consequences that arise here and there. Thunder, lightning flashes are an extremely serious warning to people who are in unprotected places. This is due, first of all, to the danger of the direct impact of lightning on the human body.

It is most dangerous to be during a thunderstorm in an open space, near a lonely standing tree, in the immediate vicinity of a reservoir.

The safest place is a place equipped according to all the rules of lightning protection. Caution must be observed in all cases when dealing with such natural phenomenon like a thunderstorm.

Is it possible to survive after being struck by lightning?

Every year, hundreds of people are killed by lightning strikes. But if we take into account the total number of annual thunderstorms, then this figure will seem insignificant. However, far from all countries have objective statistics that directly show the real consequences after a lightning strike on a person. It should be noted that the main damage to health can be shifted in time and fatal consequences will appear later in the form of serious illnesses. It is not uncommon for survivors to not later attribute their ailments to being hit by lightning. As a rule, in such cases, the necessary information is usually given by people who survived after a lightning strike and are under the supervision of a doctor.

A lightning strike can lead to paralysis of the nervous system, blockage of vital organs, respiratory arrest and, as a result, death can occur. And this is not surprising! After all, the power of the discharge reaches several hundred thousand amperes, and all this power passes through the human body in an instant, randomly affecting his organs. Depending on the incredible force of the blow and its direction, any scenario is possible - from fatal to simple shock, without any serious consequences, which is extremely rare.

What is the chance of surviving after being struck by lightning? This rhetorical question, to which there is no exact answer, cannot be ignored, since the magnitude of the electric discharge is unpredictable and varies over a wide range (the current strength in a lightning discharge on Earth reaches 10-500 thousand amperes). In the vast majority of cases, irreversible changes occur in the human body that are incompatible with life and, usually, a complete cardiac arrest occurs. It is noted that when lightning hits a young couple under a tree, the guy often suffers to a much greater extent than the girl.

Why do marks remain on the body after a lightning strike

A lightning discharge, passing through the body, leaves one burn mark at the entrance and two at the exit, if it passes through both legs, between which an electric arc occurs, which aggravates the force of impact. In these places, scars can remain after a lightning strike - photos and videos of which are available on the Internet. Therefore, it is recommended to stand on one leg during a thunderstorm, tucking the other. Powerful lightning discharges are accompanied by a large heating of the surrounding air, provoking a body burn, causing numerous ruptures of blood vessels, as a result of which the skin acquires a bizarre pattern. It can stay for life.

A characteristic burn in the form of a Lichtenberg figure - scars after a lightning strike - often appears on the body and hands of the victims. This patterned pattern marks the body, as if indicating that you have been exposed to a deadly effect of powerful natural energy. Some severe burn marks may result from ignited clothing in the high temperature area.

Survivors after being struck by lightning

If there was a lightning strike in a person, the consequences, as a rule, are disappointing and may not appear immediately. The head and chest suffer the most. The human body is able to respond to this direct impact in the most serious way. For example, there may be problems with memory and speech, with hearing loss, since connections in any area of ​​the brain will be broken, which leads to degradation of a person. Often the eyes suffer after a lightning strike, which leads to partial or complete loss of vision. Over time, cataracts may form, retinal detachment may occur, and the optic nerve may atrophy.

Of course, such amazing cases also happen, such as, for example, with Vanga, when, as a result of exposure to lightning, she acquired the gift of foresight at the cost of complete loss of vision. There are various cases of unusual “rebirth” of the victim without any negative consequences. A chronic disease disappears in a patient, hair on the head begins to grow in a bald man, teeth begin to erupt in a toothless one, many extraordinary abilities that were absent before appear, but such a chance is extremely rare, and this is rather an exception to the rule. Dosed electric current is well used in treatment, but uncontrolled lightning current is extremely dangerous for life, so we should finish talking about the benefits of the consequences of a lightning strike on a person.

What does a person look like after being struck by lightning?

The survivor looks absolutely helpless, since damage to the musculoskeletal system is possible, up to numerous fractures, including the spine. The victim receives a shock blow, shortness of breath, up to a temporary stoppage of breathing. Inevitably, when a person is struck by lightning, the central nervous system is injured, and general paralysis occurs. There is a myth, which is somewhat supported by the press, that the victim should be buried in the ground after a lightning strike in order to release the charges from the body. This is not true, since the human body does not accumulate electrical charges and burying in the ground does not bring any practical benefit. That is why it is necessary, without wasting time, to begin to provide first aid to the victim and urgently call a doctor.

Unbiased statistics show us the severe consequences of a lightning strike on a person, so it would be wise to adhere to the safety rules for yourself and not worry about your loved ones: always stay during a thunderstorm in places professionally equipped with lightning protection systems.

It is very important that a person who finds himself in an unprotected area, after direct or indirect exposure to a lightning discharge, receives the necessary urgent assistance.

To feel safe during a thunderstorm, you need to know where and how to apply protective equipment, which today is available in a wide range. The topic of protection against atmospheric electricity is just as wide, so there is quite a lot of material for review.

Let's start in order. On the territory of the European part of Russia, an average of 25-30 thunderstorm days per year is observed, and even more to the east. Most of them are in the spring and summer. “I love a thunderstorm in early May…” wrote the classic. Yes, it is in spring and summer that atmospheric electrical discharges - lightning - occur most often.

During a severe thunderstorm, up to a hundred lightning bolts and even more can strike the ground. But since the thunderstorm passes over a relatively large area, the probability of it entering the house is not very high; however, such a case cannot be ruled out. However, most private houses do not have an external lightning protection system.

The danger of lightning lies not only in the direct hit of an electric discharge in the house, but also in objects and the ground near the house. Moreover, the probability of such a hit is much higher than directly into a residential building, because there are many such objects, and they are located on a larger territory. The consequences of such shocks can be significant for a residential building and its electrical equipment, so every house must be equipped with an internal surge protection system.

What is the probability of a lightning strike?

Several factors influence the risk of lightning entering a building. First of all, it is the frequency of thunderstorms in a particular region, which can be determined from a special thunderstorm map. The height of the building and its location also matter. Let's say a three-story house standing on a hillock in a desert area is much more prone to lightning strikes than a one-story house surrounded by tall trees. The math here is simple - the fewer objects of comparable height around, the higher the probability of a lightning strike. The probability is also increased due to architectural features such as mezzanine, round roof, towers, spiers, weather vanes, etc. If the height of the house is more than 15 m, then it must be equipped with an external lightning protection system.

The nature of lightning

Lightning is a powerful electrical discharge, which is accompanied by a bright flash and thunder. The lightning discharge current can reach 100,000 A, while the air temperature inside the discharge exceeds 25,000°C.

When a critical amount of negative charges accumulate in the lower layer of clouds, and positive charges accumulate on the surface of the earth, an atmospheric discharge occurs.

Lightning moves downward - from the cloud to the ground. During the discharge, lightning carries a huge amount of electrical charges towards the earth. The discharge itself can last a fraction of a second, but in this short period of time the cloud manages to neutralize its potential. The strength of the electric charge of lightning is thousands of times greater than in a home network. It is easy to guess how dangerous this can be.

Line lightning- the most common type of lightning cloud discharge. We see such lightning most often. They blaze with luminous veins that connect cloud and earth. The spectacle is impressive, but if you watch it from afar. The lightning that strikes nearby is terrible and extremely dangerous. When a discharge hits a building or tree, a fire most often occurs.

A linear lightning discharge often neutralizes only a part of the cloud, so you can observe how lightning strikes many times approximately in the same direction. What we call lightning is a series of several discharges, the number of which can reach several tens. With strong discharges, lightning can last 1 s or more. Under certain circumstances, the force of the wind can shift the "channel" of lightning, thus causing a phenomenon known as ribbon lightning, which, wandering, can cause several fires almost simultaneously.

Fireball is still one of the most mysterious and little-studied phenomena. Incredibly, even in the 21st century, nothing can be said with accuracy about the nature of this phenomenon, and also nothing can be protected from it. Ball lightning looks like a small luminous ball, about 3 to 30 cm in diameter. Some researchers attribute some kind of intelligence to it. There are cases when ball lightning flew into a room through an open window and left it the same way. But it happened that it exploded with monstrous force, destroying everything around. Even more mysterious is the penetration of ball lightning through the chimney. The movement of ball lightning defies the laws of physics. It can abruptly change direction, slow down, accelerate, freeze. Ball lightning can even burn a hole in a window pane without damaging anything else. However, it must be said that ball lightning is also a rather rare phenomenon and not everyone is destined to see it at least once in a lifetime.

The devastating effects of lightning

If lightning strikes a person - death or serious injury, and if it enters a building that is not protected by an external lightning protection system - a fire. Hundreds of such cases are recorded in Russia every year. At the same time, much more often due to discharges of atmospheric electricity, overvoltages occur in the power grid, as a result of which electrical appliances fail. A lightning discharge can be so powerful that not only a direct hit becomes dangerous, but also a hit at a considerable distance from home. Potentially dangerous lightning radius reaches 1.5 km. Moreover, even those discharges that occur between thunderclouds are dangerous, i.e. not reaching the ground. In an unprotected electrical network during a lightning discharge, surge voltages can occur, moving at a speed close to the speed of light. Thus, just one lightning strike is enough to take out expensive home electrical equipment. In addition, the wiring may be damaged. The following may happen:

• wiring insulation damage and short circuit;
• failure of electric motors, transformers, coils and almost all electrical appliances and electronic equipment (TVs, computers, control automation, etc.) connected to the network;
• failure of fire alarms and security devices.

Protecting the electrical system at home

All electrical appliances designed to operate from a household network are sensitive to surges. The latter can occur not only due to the discharge of atmospheric electricity, but also due to short circuits in the network, as well as switching processes. However, regardless of the causes of overvoltage, home networks can be protected by properly selected internal protection. Such protection must be installed even in the presence of an external lightning protection system. Comprehensive protection includes equalizing connections and zone protection equipment.

Equalizing connections provided by the installation of the main equipotential bus, to which is connected:

• grounding points of the main switchboard;
• metal braids of cables and metal pipes of communications (if any in the house);
• equalizing connections in the bathroom;
• grounding conductor of the external lightning protection system (if any).

Most often, the main equipotential bus is installed near the main electrical switchboard or in the basement. Additional tires should be installed in rooms where there is an increased risk of electric shock (bathrooms, saunas, laundries, etc.).

Zone protection involves the installation of protective devices, the function of which is the safe acceptance and discharge of surge voltages to the ground. Today, for zonal protection, it is advisable to use a new generation of class C protective devices capable of lowering the voltage to 1500 V, which is sufficient for the safety of household appliances. But standard protective devices of class A, C, D can also be used. They are installed next to the main electrical panel or in the input device.

Class B first-stage arresters (lightning arresters) protect the home electrical network from the effects of lightning entering the house or nearby objects.

Arresters of the second stage of class C (stoppers) can have damage indicators, thanks to which the device can be quickly restored by replacing the protective insert.

Class D third stage limiters are installed directly close to the protected electrical appliances - in sockets, extension cords, in the switchboard.

Today, there are arresters on the market for the comprehensive protection of the home electrical network. One such device combines arresters of two and three levels of protection, as well as a separate group for protecting telephone lines.

And in Russia, natural disasters have refuted all the laws of logic and statistics. It is believed that the probability of lightning hitting a person is 1 in 600 thousand, but only recently three have died from electrical discharges in our country.

Where and when lightning will strike is impossible to predict. Vacationers on the shores of lakes and rivers, and residents of large cities also become victims.

Reportage Channel Five correspondent Viktor Chernoguz.

3 days after the tragedy on the Kaldy lakes - everything is still the same. Adults swim - children sunbathe. Similarly, 28-year-old Svetlana came here for a picnic on the weekend. This photo was taken a couple of hours before her death. In the hands of the girl is a son, whom she tried to hide from a thunderstorm.

The girl died immediately - her son, although he received 15% of body burns, escaped. Now he is in intensive care. The scars on the body will remain for life, but serious health consequences have been avoided. At the time of the lightning strike, the mother held the boy in her arms and, in fact, became a lightning rod for him.

Sergey Yakovlev, traumatologist of the burn department of the regional clinical hospital No. 6:"Lightning hit mom, and went from skin to skin."

This summer, the sky strikes are getting more dangerous. In just one day of the tragedy in Chelyabinsk, on Friday 13, lightning killed two people in the Moscow region. Several more were injured in the capital itself. From one of these categories.

And this is exactly the case when it is pointless to watch the weather forecast. Where and when lightning strikes is almost unpredictable. It turns out that the most reliable way is when a thunderstorm begins, you need to peer into the sky.

Sergey Menshov, rescuer of the North-West Regional Search and Rescue Team of the Russian Emergencies Ministry:“If you count the seconds after the lightning and before the thunder, then divide the resulting number of seconds by three, you get the distance in kilometers.”

Every minute, 200 celestial discharges fall on the planet. Often they are not even noticed. Like those tourists on the Eiffel Tower. Perhaps that is why lightning seems to be more harmless every year.

After all, in fact, lightning is just a stream of charged particles. Which has long been studied and tamed by man. In the Middle Ages, such tricks would certainly have been burned at the stake. And today it's just a harmless children's attraction.

Museum visitors can not only control lightning, but even touch the electric charge. At the same time, many do not realize: only a couple of centimeters separate them from death.

Nadezhda Tikunova, consultant:“When we touch the plastic tube, we feel a tingling sensation, but if we touch the needle, there is a voltage of 2000 volts, and we can just turn into an ember.”

The leading videos in terms of the number of views on the Internet: here a man is struck twice by lightning - and he survived, another similar case. But these are, of course, exceptions. Resuscitators know that the vast majority of patients do not even have time to get to the hospital. Although often, in the first minutes after the impact, a person can still be saved. Using the simplest methods

Konstantin Krylov, head of the burn center of the Institute of Emergency Medicine named after. I. I. Dzhanelidze:"Breathing mouth to mouth - best option. Movement of the hands up and down and rhythmic, massage on 4 points in the region of the heart.

The first lightning rod in Russia was installed exactly 240 years ago. At the Peter and Paul Fortress. But until now in St. Petersburg, old houses are almost equipped with lightning traps. It turns out that a picnic by the lake and a walk through the famous courtyards-wells are equally dangerous. You can console yourself with statistics: only one person out of 600,000 has a chance to get struck by lightning. But rescuers all recommend learning the rules of behavior at the first sound of thunder. After all, thunderstorms are expected often this summer.