(soft music) (clicking)
- [Narrator] Contrary to popular belief,
lightning strikes aren't always a death sentence.
In fact, about 90% of people in the U.S.
who are struck actually survive.
Still, victims rarely walk away unscathed
and the damage can be permanent.
(electricity buzzing)
Lightning triggers 75 thousand forest fires
in the U.S. each year and can split entire trees
down the middle in a split second.
It's frightening to imagine what it does
inside a human body.
The good news is that you won't get cooked
Wile E. Coyote-style, but it can still do damage.
(thunder rumbling)
For starters, lightning carries between one
to 10 billion joules of energy.
Enough to power a 100-watt bulb for at least three months.
When that amount of electricity enters your body,
(electricity buzzing)
it short circuits the small electrical signals
that run your heart, lungs, and nervous system.
This can lead to cardiac arrest, seizures,
brain injury, spinal cord damage, and even amnesia,
but electricity isn't your only problem.
Lightning is blisteringly hot.
(crackling)
In under a second, it can heat the surrounding air
to temperatures five times hotter than the sun's surface.
This causes a rapid expansion of air,
which leads to a shockwave
that we hear as thunder. (thunder rumbling)
It has been calculated that someone standing
within 30 feet of a lightning strike point
can experience a blast wave equivalent
to a five kilogram TNT bomb.
(booming)
The intense heat, light,
and electricity can also damage your eyes.
In fact, it can bore holes in your retina
and cause cataracts within days or weeks.
(clock ticking)
Other side effects of lightning can include impotence
in men and overall decreased libido.
That's just what happens on the inside.
As the lightning moves toward the surface,
it can force red blood cells out of your capillaries,
into your epidermis like a bruise.
These intricate designs are called Lichtenberg figures.
These intense temperatures can also heat up
any metal you might be wearing causing third-degree burns.
It can also rapidly vaporize the rain water
or sweat on your skin.
The resulting steam explosion may blow off your clothes
and shoes, leaving you nearly naked.
On average, 47 people in the U.S. are killed
by lightning each year.
You might be wondering,
how do I make sure I'm not that guy?
For starters, check weather forecasts ahead of time
and stay indoors during a storm,
but if you're stuck outside,
avoid isolated trees, poles, and open fields,
and run as fast as you can towards safety.
You're best off in a developed building
or a hard-topped metal vehicle.
(horn honking)
Stay calm and just remember,
when thunder roars, go indoors.
(lightning crashing) (fire crackling)
(thunder rumbling) (soft music)