WINNIPEG - We are in thunderstorm season, which means we must be careful not to get struck by lightning. However, lightning isn’t a bad thing. In general, the positively charged ground will attract a negatively charged lightning bolt, and when the two meet, a strong electrical current is created. This reaction helps earth maintain its electrical balance. Without lightning, the electrical balance between earth and the atmosphere would quickly disappear.
In addition, lightning helps fertilize plants. While farmers dread severe weather, they appreciate lightning when the storms behave themselves. Although the atmosphere consists of about 70% nitrogen, this nitrogen is in a form that plants cannot use. Lightning strikes help dissolve the unusable nitrogen in the water, creating a natural fertilizer that the plants can absorb through their roots.
Also, lightning produces ozone, which helps protect the planet from harmful ultraviolet rays.
Lightning can strike in the same place twice, or many more times. The Willis Tower in Chicago was hit 250 times from 2015 to 2020.
Of course, lightning can strike people, and often it kills them. However, that is not always the case. And, yes, lightning can strike the same person more than once.
A US park ranger, Roy Sullivan, was struck seven times from 1942 to 1977. I bet it was hard for him to find a golf partner.
What do you think?