Did you know there are 16 million lightning storms every year? 1 MJ (joule) in ever day life translates to the amount of energy needed to lift a small apple one metre straight up. An average bolt of lightning carries an electric current of 40 kiloamperes (kA) (although some bolts can be up to 120 kA), and transfers a charge of five coulombs and 500 MJ. Imagine what amount of energy our scientists can harness and store when lightning storms occur! It will help with our energy problem.
Ranked number one in the world for the highest number of lightning strikes is the mountains of eastern Democratic Rebublic of the Congo.
When we get rain here in Singapore, we not only get rain like the rest of the world, we get electrical storms.
Living in Singapore, we are ranked the second highest rate of lightning activity in the world after the mountains of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The flash of lightning precedes the clap of thunder. This has caused me a number of inconvenience like recently, a thunder storm just last week knocked out the electricity in our entire building (as well as my computer!).
The peak period of thunder storms being April/May and November, annually there are about 171 thunder storm days in Singapore.
Ranked third is the city of Teresina in northern Brazil, the surrounding region is referred to as the Chapada do Corisco meaning Flash Lightning Flatlands. In the US, Central Florida has the most lightning activity than an other area. Did you know the Empire State Building is struck by lightning on an average 23 times each year?
Lightning over Oradea in Romania.
According to Uman ((1986), chapter 4, pages 26-34) flying aircraft can also trigger lightning.
Somewhere in Deventer, the Netherlands
Summer thunderstorm over Wejherowo in Poland
Lightning in Temesvar - Romania
