Lightning Pictures Thunder and forked lightning volcano, sunset desert

A lightning flash lasts only about 200 milliseconds and consists of 4 or 5 individual bolts. The flicker you see in lightning is due to the individual bolts, which combine to make up the flash.

Lightning Pictures

Lightning Picture At Iceland Volcano

The 2010 Iceland eruption at Eyjafjallajökull has focused attention on the volcanoes, as a result this picture captures lightning over the eruption.

Picture of Lightning in the Desert

What's special about the above lightning picture is the way that the longer you study the image, more and more cacti appear. It seems a similar effect to the way that our eyes get accustomed to the dark.

Lightning Strikes Down Chinese Debtor

A Chinese man called Mr Xu, swore to God that he didn't owe about $100 to his neighbour Mr Huang. In the time it has taken you to read this a lightning bolt struck down Mr Xu. Mr Huang remembered the debt well, Xu borrowed the money for a friend's marriage gift.

In desperation Mr Huang said that if Xu dared to swear to god that he did not owe the money, then he would waive the dept. Xu foolishly took up the challenge, and made the oath in front of a crowd of neighbours in Fuqing city, China. Less than a minute after Xu made his oath, he was struck down by lightning.

Xu was quickly taken to hospital where doctors confirmed he had indeed been injured by lightning. While he is expected to make a full recovery, it is hoped that Xu will settle his debt honourably.

Forked Lightning Pictures - A Lightning Storm in Washington

You must be a dedicated watcher to have the presence of mind to take a picture of lightning bolts, or forked lightning. The picture below was taken by Max Pinton from the roof of his building in Redmond, Washington, USA.

Thunder and Lightning Storm in Majorca. Picture of Forked Lightning Strikes

Thunder invariably accompanies lightning, they say you can hear the thunder for up to 12 miles.

Newspaper Headline from the Newport Argus

Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
[He probably IS the battery charge!]

Lightning Ball Tragedy in Japan

No one to this day can explain a terrible tragedy that took place in Japan. A class of school students went on a trip. A school teacher told the class to hold onto a rope. Lightning struck and travelled through the rope, killing exactly half of the students.

The oddest part is that each even-numbered child in the line was killed and none of the students in odd-numbered positions were even burned.

Lightning in Southern France

Keith Lomax told the BBC that he was caught in a storm in southern France while driving.

'The rain was so heavy that it was about 5cm deep across the whole road because the flood drains were overloaded, bringing traffic to a near standstill. The lightning was striking the road around us making the water boil.' Will can concur that the SW of France can experience enormous storms during June, July and August.

Rare Picture of Lightning and Rainbow

Lightning usually occurs during heavy storms while rainbows generally form after the rain has stopped, making an appearance of both simultaneously relatively rare. This clash of weather below, was seen above Fort Smith, in Arkansas, USA.

Watching Lightning

Don't you just love the lightning. I read recently that in England, the Southern counties have more lightning than the North, with Surrey being the epicentre. Worldwide, there are about 3,000 lightning strikes per minute.

What Chance Lightning Striking Twice?

The reason lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place is that the same place isn't there the second time. Willie Tyler

However.... The chances of being struck by lightning twice [on different days] is seemingly impossible, so what are the odds of being struck by lightning seven times? Lightning Strikes Twich

For the dubious honour of being the world record holder and the man most struck by lightning who survived may we introduce you to Mr Roy Sullivan. The thunderous events that happened to him occurred as follows:

1942: Sullivan was hit for the first time when he was in a lookout tower. The lightning bolt struck him in a leg and he lost a nail on his big toe.

1969: The second bolt hit him in his truck when he was driving on a mountain road. It knocked him unconscious and burned his eyebrows.

1972: The next hit happened in a ranger station. The strike set his hair on fire. After that, he began to carry a pitcher of water with him.

1973: A lightning bolt hit Sullivan on the head, blasted him out of his car, and again set his hair on fire.

1974: Sullivan was struck by the sixth lightning bolt in a campground, injuring his ankle.

1977: The seventh and final lightning bolt hit him when he was fishing. Sullivan was hospitalized for burns in his chest and stomach. His 'lightning hats' are on display in New York's and South Carolina's Guinness World Exhibit Hall.

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Amazing, Strange and True Story Lightning Strike Cures Sick Woman

A Serbian woman has been cured of a serious heart condition after being struck by lightning Will and Guy have discovered. Shocked doctors who'd been treating Nada Acimovich, 51, for arrhythmia, [irregular heartbeats that can be a killer], and discovered that she had made a complete recovery.

Mrs Acimovich, of Sljivovica, Serbia, was saved from death by her rubber soled shoes but the electric jolt put her heartbeat back to normal, say medics. Arrhythmia is normally treated by giving the patient small electric jolts to reset the heart's rhythm but this strike is exceptional.

'In the first place she's lucky to be alive because of the lightning strike, but she's now going to live for much longer too,' we have been informed by a doctor.

Lightning Strike - Sparks Forest Fire

Weird Lightning Picture

Lightning Story - Out of the mouths of....

Louise was a little girl who walked daily to and from school. Though the weather one morning was unsettled and clouds were forming, she took her normal stroll to her primary school ½ a mile away.

As the day passed, the weather became more inclement, the wind whistled stronger and there was some loud thunder and fierce lightning. Louise's mother was concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school. She herself was afraid of an electrical storm and thought that it might harm her child. Following a massive clap of thunder, lightning rent the sky like a fireball from heaven.

Terrified, Louise's mother got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school. Soon she saw her daughter walking along, but at each flash of lightning, Louise would stop, look up and smile. One followed another, each with the little girl stopping, looking at the streak of light and smiling.

Finally, her mother called her over to the car and asked, 'Louise darling, what are you doing?'

Lightning Pictures

Will and Guy's Favourite Pictures of Lightning