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How to find out at what distance lightning struck. How to determine the distance to lightning. Where are the most victims struck by lightning?

home In chapter Science, Technology, Languages to the question How can you measure the distance to a thunderstorm? given by the author Aggressive noob

the best answer is that the distance to a thunderstorm can be determined by the time between the flash of lightning and the clap of thunder (1s - distance 300-400 m, 2s - 600-800 m, 3s - 1000 m) For some reason my parents explained it to me like this: Count the seconds between the flash of lightning and the first clap of thunder. 1s-1 km. Ekaterina Kurzeneva
Vasisualiy Levaterenolovich

the best answer is that the distance to a thunderstorm can be determined by the time between the flash of lightning and the clap of thunder (1s - distance 300-400 m, 2s - 600-800 m, 3s - 1000 m) It was found that the speed of sound is 171 toise per second, which corresponds to 337 m/s. Therefore, 3 sec ~ kilometer Ekaterina Kurzeneva
Serrrega

the best answer is that the distance to a thunderstorm can be determined by the time between the flash of lightning and the clap of thunder (1s - distance 300-400 m, 2s - 600-800 m, 3s - 1000 m) No... I'm not against physics... But... I want to put in my twenty cents... Maybe I'm wrong. . But a thunderstorm does not emanate from one point... This is generally a global phenomenon... And counting the seconds between the appearance of lightning and thunder is incorrect, excuse me... I observed thunderstorms when lightning was present for three seconds in the form of a flash within a radius of 180 degrees.. (left - right - ahead). And the thunder rumbled. then.... boom and stereo... .Your subwoofers and stereo effects are resting... .And how is this???? This is the Moscow region... I don’t walk far... I saw lightning but didn’t hear thunder.. I heard thunder.. But didn’t see lightning.. How’s that? ?How is it with D. Granin? “I’m heading into the storm” :) Ekaterina Kurzeneva
V ikh r
Hello!
It's quite simple. At the moment of a lightning flash, turn on the stopwatch, and at the beginning of a sonic boom, turn it off. Multiply the number of seconds by 340 (average speed in m/s of sound) and get the distance to lightning in meters! If you make several such observations in a row and record the results, you can calculate whether a thunderstorm is approaching you or moving away from you, and even at what speed this is happening!
I am attaching a photo of the lightning, which, based on calculations of its parameters, showed that the thickness of the lightning rod was about 50 m!
All the best.

Summer Storm, Arizona (2008)

What are the chances that YOU will be struck by lightning?

The US National Weather Service estimates there is a 1 in 300 chance that someone in your household will be struck by lightning at least once.

The temperature of lightning varies from 30,000 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 16,649 degrees Celsius) to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit (27,760 Celsius). This is even higher than the surface temperature of the sun! When lightning strikes, the air near it heats up to the same temperature and immediately explodes, sending vibrations or sound waves that bounce off hills, buildings, and trees. You may hear thunder from lightning that strikes 20 miles away, depending on the wind direction and temperature.

"Rule 30 to 30":

If the time between a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder is less than 30 seconds, then you are dangerously close to it.

FACT: If a thunderstorm finds you outside and you are far from cars and buildings, try to find shelter made of dense wood or look for stands of low trees. If you are somewhere where there is nothing like this, for example, in an alpine area, then try to bend down and sit as low as possible, at the bottom of a ravine or beam, take a fetal position and do not get up. Your legs should be together, your head bent to your chest, and your ears covered with your hands.

FACT: If you "spread out" on the ground, you will be lower than if you were squatting, but this position increases the chances of ground shock.

After the storm ends, wait 30 minutes (from the last flash of lightning or clap of thunder) before leaving. But be careful!

Even the 30 to 30 rule won't save you from the first flash of lightning, so always be aware of the weather forecast and possible thunderstorms.

Facts about lightning:

The human body does not “store” current. So you can absolutely safely touch a victim struck by lightning and provide first aid.

The diameter of lightning is usually approximately 1.2-2.5 cm, but in some cases it can reach 13 cm. The average length of lightning from clouds to ground is approximately 5-6 km.

According to observations, about 2000 thunderstorms can occur simultaneously throughout the world.

Distance from lightning to thunder can be found out by multiplying the number of seconds (from the moment we saw to the moment we heard) by the speed of sound, equal to 331 m/s. For example, 5 seconds multiplied by 330 (rounded) = 1650 meters.

Usually we see a lightning flash flickering, this happens because several lightning strikes almost simultaneously.

The longest lightning strike to date was recorded in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas. It reached 190 km.

Lightning strikes 30 million points on earth per year in the United States.

Lightning can appear not only in a thunderstorm, but also during a snowstorm, sandstorm, over an erupting volcano or from a nuclear explosion.

The largest fire caused by lightning in terms of the number of victims (12 people) occurred in January 2006 in West Virginia, as a result of a coal mine explosion. The explosion occurred approximately three kilometers from the entrance to the mine; methane was ignited due to lightning, which struck not far from the mine and entered it through an iron wire.

If lightning is about to strike somewhere near you, the following usually happens before it happens:

Hair becomes electrified
Skin tingles
You can hear a sound like something is cracking
Keys or other metal objects may vibrate

Thunderstorm over the Bering Sea

Where are the most victims struck by lightning?

Statistics for US states:

Florida
Michigan
North Carolina
NY
Wyoming
Pennsylvania
New Mexico
Arkansas
Colorado
Georgia

The northern states top this list. Perhaps the reason for this is that these statistics include victims who simply did not take the necessary precautions.

Thunderstorm over Lake Alcheras, Idaho, USA

Fort Benning Case (1989): Several thousand people are treated in hospitals each year in the United States for injuries related to lightning strikes. About 600 of them die. In most cases, lightning strikes one person, rarely when it hits a group of people. There was a mass casualty incident at Fort Benning when 10 soldiers were struck by lightning during a training exercise. All the victims remained alive, none of them lost consciousness, but two soldiers showed memory loss. All were hospitalized and examined for possible complications. 90% suffered first-degree burns, and all complained of poor vision. 40% complained of high blood pressure, 20% complained of ringing in the ears. All ten recovered and returned to active life.

Trees and lightning

Trees quite often conduct lightning into the ground. Tree sap is a poor conductor, therefore, due to electrical resistance, it heats up to such a state that it turns into steam, and under pressure “blows away” the bark from the path of lightning. Over time, bark grows back on the damaged areas of the tree, and the tree is almost completely restored, leaving only a vertical scar. But if the damage is too severe, the tree may not recover. Then it dies from rotting. It is believed that a single tree is struck by lightning much more often, but despite this, in some forests you can find vertical scars on almost every tree.

tall pine

Oak and elm are the two trees most frequently struck by lightning, with pine being the third most frequently struck. Pine, unlike oak, has a deep root system that goes into groundwater. Pine trees are usually much taller than other trees, which increases the chances of being struck by lightning. Lightning strikes are also facilitated by the high content of resin and needles, which are ideal for electrical ignition during a thunderstorm.

The principle of lightning “behavior”:

Despite the fact that lightning strikes most often appear under clouds, it can still strike the ground anywhere if there is a thundercloud nearby. How this process happens:

A lightning strike occurs in ½ second. There are two key concepts associated with the lightning strike process. This is a shifting leader and a reverse discharge. Using them, you can track the process from the moment lightning leaves the cloud until it connects with the Earth. A moving leader is a weak lightning bolt inside a cloud. Such discharges move towards the ground in "serial steps", each downward step being approximately 45 meters in length. When the displacing leader comes down and connects with the ground or tree (for example), the circuit is completed and lightning strikes. A flashback is a lightning bolt that originates from the ground. He returns to the cloud. There is another concept - a leader. A leader appears when electrons are discharged. It descends along the initial path of lightning all the way to the ground. This makes it possible for lightning to strike the same place several times. Lightning has "favorite" places to strike and it can follow the same path twice, despite what some may believe.

Storm clouds over Denver

[Recent statistics have shown that in the state of Arizona, between 10 and 20 people are struck by lightning each year, and one of them is sure to die.]

Instructions

So, expect lightning with a stopwatch in hand. At the moment of the flash, start the stopwatch, when you hear thunder, turn off the stopwatch. As a result, you will get the thunder delay time - that is, the time it takes for the air vibration to travel from the point of discharge to you.

Further, the distance, according to the well-known formula, is the product of the speed of movement and the time. You have time. As for speed, for rough calculations it is enough to remember the value of 343 meters per second. If you want to calculate the distance more or less accurately, then you should remember that sound travels faster in wet conditions than in dry conditions, and faster in hotter conditions than in cold ones. For example, in a cold, heavy rain, the speed of sound will be 338 m/sec, and in a hot and dry summer – 350 m/sec.

Now count. For example, 8 seconds passed from the flash of lightning to the sound of thunder.
Take the speed of sound - 343 m/s, then the distance to lightning will be 8 * 343 = 2744 meters, or (rounded) 2.7 kilometers. If the air temperature is 15 medium rain), then the speed of sound will be 341.2 m/sec, and the distance will be 2729.6 m (can be rounded to 2.73 km).

You can enter a tolerance for wind direction. If the wind blows in the direction from the lightning towards you, the sound will travel this distance a little faster, and if the wind is blowing from you to the lightning, it will travel a little slower. For rough calculations, it is enough to remember that in the first case (wind to lightning) the distance must be reduced by 5%, and in the second (wind from lightning) increased by 5%. Thus, with a thunder delay of 8 seconds and a speed of sound of 343 m/sec and the wind direction from the lightning towards you, the distance of 2744 meters must be increased by 137.2 m.

Sources:

Table of the dependence of the speed of sound on temperature and air humidity
sound distances

Lightning typically appears as a bright zigzag flash in thunderclouds and is accompanied by thunder. Its electrical discharge reaches 100,000 amperes, and its voltage reaches several hundred million volts. To determine the distance to lightning, you need to calculate the time in seconds from the flash to the first rumble of thunder.

You will need

- stopwatch or watch$
- calculator.

Instructions

Lightning is dangerous to human life. However, ironically, it is precisely because of people that they are becoming more and more numerous. This happens due to an extremely irresponsible attitude towards the environment: air pollution in megacities increases the heating of the air and the rise of condensate steam into the atmosphere. This increases the electrical intensity in the clouds and provokes lightning strikes.

The need to determine the distance to lightning is caused not only by the need to expand one’s horizons, but also by the elementary instinct of self-preservation. If she is too close and you are in an open space, then it is better to get away from there as quickly as possible. Electric current chooses the shortest path to the ground, and the skin is an excellent conductor for it.

Start counting the seconds as soon as you see a flash of light in the sky, use a watch or stopwatch. As soon as the first clap of thunder is heard, stop counting, this will give you time.

To find the distance, you need to multiply the time by the speed. If accuracy is not very important to you, then it can be taken equal to 0.33 km/s, i.e. multiply the number of seconds by 1/3. For example, according to your calculations, the time to lightning was 12 seconds, after dividing by 3 you will get 4 km.

To determine the distance to lightning more accurately, take the average speed in the air to be 0.344 km/s. Its true value depends on many factors: humidity, temperature, type of terrain (open space, forest, urban high-rise buildings, water surface), wind speed, etc. For example, in rainy autumn weather the speed of sound is approximately 0.338 km/s, in dry summer heat it is about 0.35 km/s.

Dense forests and tall buildings significantly slow down the speed of sound. It is reduced due to the need to go around numerous obstacles and diffraction. It is quite difficult to make an accurate calculation in this case, and most importantly it is impractical: despite the fact that lightning will not strike the ground, it can hit a tall tree next to you. So wait it out between low-growing trees with a dense crown, preferably on your haunches, and if you find yourself on a city street, then take shelter in a nearby building.

Pay attention to the wind. If it is strong enough and blows towards you in the direction of the lightning, then the sound is coming faster. Then its average speed can be taken to be approximately 0.36 km/h. When the wind is directed away from you towards the lightning, the movement of sound, on the contrary, slows down and the speed is approximately 0.325 km/h.

The average length of lightning reaches 2.5 km, and the discharge extends to a distance of up to 20 km. Therefore, you should move away from the open area to the nearest building or structure as quickly as possible. Remember that when lightning approaches, you need to close all windows and doors and turn off electrical appliances, since damage may occur through the antenna and cause damage to your equipment through the network.

Lightning is not only ground-based, but also intra-cloud. They are not dangerous for those on the ground, but can damage flying objects: airplanes, helicopters and other vehicles. In addition, a metal object caught in a cloud with a strong electric field that can support, but not create a charge, can initiate lightning and provoke its appearance.

Video on the topic

note

Interesting fact: among some Indian peoples, a lightning strike is considered a kind of initiation necessary for a shaman to achieve the highest level of abilities.

At the beginning of summer, thunderstorms are especially common. It is dangerous because of lightning, which moves at great speed and carries high electrical discharges. In order to avoid irreversible consequences, when a thunderstorm approaches, you must follow a few simple rules.

Instructions

Before a thunderstorm, there is a temporary lull, and the wind strength also changes sharply. When the thunderstorm is already, determine how far you are from the epicenter. Count how many seconds have passed from

Instructions

Start counting the seconds as soon as you see a flash of light in the sky, use a watch or stopwatch. As soon as the first clap of thunder is heard, stop counting, this will give you time.

Weather phenomena often occur in nature, which under certain conditions are dangerous to human health. Over the past 24 hours, the emergency statistics have unfortunately been supplemented by a thunderstorm.

In a forest area near the town. Starobin, Soligorsk district, Minsk region, a student born in 1996, who was with a group of children in a tent near a tree, was fatally injured by a lightning strike (in total there were 11 children on vacation, accompanied by 4 adults). Three more teenagers were hospitalized with electrical injuries of varying severity.

In this regard, the Mogilev city department reminds citizens what to do to avoid the possible dangerous consequences of this natural phenomenon.

To determine how far away a thunderstorm is, approaching or moving away, you need to time the time between the flash of lightning and the subsequent clap of thunder. In 3 seconds, sound travels approximately 1 km. If the time from a flash of lightning to thunder gradually decreases, it means that a thunderstorm is approaching you. Based on this, you can calculate the approximate distance to the epicenter of the thunderstorm and take measures to ensure your safety. The most dangerous situation occurs when thunder rumbles immediately after a flash of lightning - which means that a thundercloud is already directly above you.

If by all indications it is clear that a thunderstorm cannot be avoided, we act depending on the situation

Rules of conduct during a thunderstorm:

Option 1. You are at home

if a thunderstorm finds you at home, close the windows and vents, move away from the window, avoid drafts that can attract ball lightning,
do not touch water taps or radiators,
don't use a regular phone– even here you can be overtaken by an electric discharge,
try to stay away from electrical outlets;
disconnect from electricity computer, TV and other electrical appliances;
don't talk on your cell phone;
It is better not to light a stove or fireplace at this time, since the smoke coming out of the chimney has high electrical conductivity, and the likelihood of a lightning strike into the chimney increases.

Option 2. You are in the city

In the city, try as much as possible quickly take cover in a store or residential building. They have reliable lightning protection, unlike public transport stops. If there are no such options, you need wait out the storm by squatting under low plantings.

Mobile phone while on the street immediately disable.

Using a mobile phone outdoors during a thunderstorm poses a serious threat to life and health due to the risk of being struck by lightning. Cases of death from lightning strikes while talking on a mobile phone have been repeatedly recorded.

Option 3. You are in the forest

Lightning in a forest almost never strikes the ground, with the exception of clearings, because trees are natural lightning rods, and the probability of lightning hitting a particular tree is directly proportional to its height.

Stay away from tall trees. The smartest option is sit between low-growing trees with dense crowns. At the same time, determine the approximate height of the trees you have chosen and try be located from them at a distance not exceeding this height. Let’s say that the height of the trees is approximately 4-5 meters; accordingly, you need to place them between them so that each tree is at least 4-5 meters away. This is called the "cone of protection".

In addition, we must remember that most often lightning strikes oak trees, poplars, elms - as they contain a lot of starch. Less often - into spruce, pine, fir - since they contain a lot of oils, therefore they have high electrical resistance and are less likely to be struck by lightning. Very rarely - in birches and maples.

Sit better in the so-called " fetal position“- the back is bent, the head is lowered onto the legs bent at the knees and the forearms of the hands, the soles of the feet are joined together.

When choosing a shelter, pay attention to whether there are any trees nearby that were previously damaged by a thunderstorm or split. In this case, it is better to stay away from this place. The abundance of trees struck by lightning indicates that the soil in this area has high electrical conductivity, and a lightning strike in this area of the area is very likely.

It is also best to pitch tents in a small clearing in the middle forest. Setting up tents in the open is dangerous.

Option 4. You are in the field

At the first sign of an approaching thunderstorm, you should: move to the side reliable nearest shelters(forest, village), moving away at the same time from isolated trees or groves. At the onset of a thunderstorm, if you still haven’t reached the shelter: sit down as close to the ground as possible. It should be remembered that sandy and rocky soils are safer than clay soils.

It is forbidden: move quickly, hide in haystacks, under lonely trees or islands of trees, especially touch them with your hands and other parts of the body. Psychology is such that a person tends to see protection in something big and powerful. During a thunderstorm, the opposite law works: the smaller you are, the greater your chances of not getting discharged. Therefore, we avoid the trees.

Option 5. You are in a river and there is a water meadow nearby

It is forbidden: get into the water; take cover in floodplain bushes and, again, under trees. You need to get to the nearest forest (but not individual trees in open areas) or to a village as soon as possible (but not running if a thunderstorm has already begun). At the same time, try to avoid lonely trees and other tall objects, about two hundred meters away.

When a thunderstorm approaches, a person on a boat must immediately moor to the shore.

Option 6. A thunderstorm caught you in the car

Many people mistakenly believe that it is dangerous to wait out a thunderstorm while sitting in a car. In fact, the machine protects the people inside quite well, since even when struck by lightning, the discharge occurs on the surface of the metal. Therefore, if a thunderstorm finds you in the car, close all the windows and wait for the bad weather to pass.

However Not should touch before door handles and other metal parts. Including cell phones. Spare your eardrums - in a thunderstorm, you can get a sonic boom through a mobile phone in your hands.

Option 7: You're on a bike

A bicycle and a scooter, unlike a car, will not save you from a thunderstorm.

If you are caught in a thunderstorm while riding a bicycle or motorcycle, stop moving, leave them and wait out the storm in the distance about 30 meters from them.

Option 8. If you are on a hike

During a thunderstorm, all metal objects: axes, saws, shovels, knives, dishes, etc. - must be placed 15-30 m from the camp or people.

It is necessary to isolate yourself from the soil, especially if it is wet, placing under yourself a heat-insulating mat, an air mattress, branches, spruce branches, in extreme cases, stones, ropes, clothes, shoes, etc. At the same time, we must strive to keep the insulator as dry as possible!

You should sit in a grouped position, bending your back, lowering your head on your legs bent at the knees and forearms of your hands, connect your feet together. The body should have minimal contact with the ground. It is advisable to take off wet clothes and put on dry ones; in extreme cases, wring them out thoroughly. Wet bodies and clothing increase the risk of being struck by lightning.

When the storm starts, put out the fire. Smoke is a good conductor of electricity. There were, for example, cases when lightning struck a low pipe, although there was a tall one nearby. And all because the “short one” was smoking with might and main.

When sheltering from a thunderstorm, also avoid characteristic faults on the ground. Experts call them “lightning nests” - they are the most conductive areas of the soil.

It is better for the group to disperse along the way. Go one at a time, slowly.

During a thunderstorm, do not run or fuss under any circumstances.
You cannot wear wet clothes or shoes.

Ball lightning

About a year ago, on the morning of July 12, residents of 5th Yamnitsky Lane witnessed one of the mysterious natural phenomena of ball lightning. A large light ball with a diameter of about 2 meters came into contact with a television antenna installed on one of the houses, after which it exploded and, bifurcating, disappeared, leaving behind three sources of ignition on the roof. At the time of the incident, a girl born in 1994 and her 48-year-old father were in the house, doing housework in the courtyard of the house. Neighbors reported the fire. When rescuers arrived, the house was on fire. As a result of the fire, the roof was destroyed and property in the house was damaged.

Ball lightning can suddenly appear anywhere, even indoors. There have been cases of it appearing from a telephone handset, an electric razor, or an outlet. Eyewitnesses claim that ball lightning can enter a room through narrow cracks, pipes and even a keyhole. The dimensions of ball lightning can range from several centimeters to several meters. Usually it easily floats or rolls above the ground, sometimes jumps. Ball lightning can appear and disappear without causing harm to a person or premises. Or it might leave behind a hole in the door and the smell of ozone. She often explodes. Statistics say that in 80% of cases the explosions were not dangerous, serious consequences occurred in 10% of cases of explosions.

What to do if ball lightning does fly into your house?

When encountering ball lightning, you should keep calm And stop the slightest movements.

Shouldn't run away from ball lightning, because you can cause an air flow through which a clot of energy will fly purposefully after you.

There is no need to get close to it or touch it with anything, as an explosion may occur.

Important!!!

If there is a person next to you who is struck or shell-shocked by lightning, do not be afraid to touch him- no charge remains in the victim’s body. We must remember that not every lightning strike is fatal!

You can help a person by providing first aid. The main cause of death from a lightning strike is disruption of the heart and lungs. Therefore, the victim should perform artificial respiration and cardiac massage without stopping for more than a minute, and stop only when the victim has clear signs of death.

If a thunderstorm takes you by surprise, you need to remember the following:

lightning never strikes bushes;
avoid isolated trees;
put metal objects aside;
do not stand under an open umbrella;
do not touch electrical objects and remove them from your pockets;
if possible, wait out the thunderstorm in your car;
stay away from tall metal structures;
do not swim, do not wade the river, move away from the reservoir.

If you find yourself in extreme conditions, act decisively, using all your knowledge and skills.

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If by all indications it is clear that a thunderstorm cannot be avoided, we act depending on the situation

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