August 2019
What are the odds of being struck by lightning?
Considering our wacky weather of late, this seems like an apt topic to cover!
The mechanics of a lightning strike may still not be fully understood, but a cloud-to-ground lightning flash – a sudden, high-voltage electrostatic discharge between a cloud and an object on the ground, which can reach temperatures of 30,000°C – is the most familiar and dangerous type. The odds of being struck by lightning are slim, but just how slim depends on several factors, including geographical location, population size and setting. It could be said that lightning striking in terms of luck, equates to getting that huge jackpot win with gambling online usa. So it pays not to always looks at uncommon scenarios in a purely negative light!
Obviously, anyone engaged in outdoor activities, for work or leisure, especially in wide, open spaces or on high ground, during a thunderstorm runs a higher risk of being struck by lightning. According to an article in the International Journal of Meteorology, published in 2017, participants in outdoor activities, especially young men, accounted for the majority of deaths due to lightning strikes in the United Kingdom over the preceding three decades. Similarly, in the United States, the National Weather Service reported that those struck and killed by lightning in the ten-year period between 2006 and 2016 were, overwhelmingly, men involved in outdoor sports activities.
The odds of being struck by lightning vary wildly, depending on which source you choose to believe. The BMJ, formerly the British Medical Journal, suggests that the odds of becoming a lightning victim in the United Kingdom are 10,000,000/1, although estimates from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents suggests 1,000,000/1, or thereabouts, and David Hand, author of ‘The Improbability Principle’, suggests 300,000/1. On the other side of the Atlantic, ‘National Geographic’ suggests 700,000/1, while the National Lightning Safety Institute suggests 280,000/1. So you need not fear lightning striking you down anytime soon! Best to invest a bit of time in hoping that good luck instead comes your way at top online casino uk and the like!
