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Lightning: 7 myths debunked
There are several myths floating around that many believe to be absolutely true, but here's what the facts say about those myths.
With more than 2 billion events a year, lightning is a near-constant presence in our atmosphere – and 2024 was no exception.
According to Vaisala Weather’s 2024 annual lightning report, 73% of all lightning occurred over land last year.
"There were 24 weather disasters costing more than a billion dollars in 2024 in the United States alone, of which 17 were severe storm outbreaks," Ryan Said, a senior lightning scientist at Vaisala Xweather, said in a statement. "Severe weather can be life-threatening, especially without the right safety measures in place. Knowing when severe weather happens, where the high-risk areas are, and building safety infrastructure can make all the difference, keeping people safe at home, getting from A to B on time, and making sure renewable energy keeps flowing into the electrical grid."
Texas had most lightning strikes in 2024
Teague, Texas had the most lightning strikes than any other city in the U.S. at 735 strikes and 1,903 events per square mile. This was followed by Orlando, Florida with 414 strikes and Kingsland, Georgia with 377.
Lightning bolt discharge over city buildings in Fort Worth Texas. (Credit: A Bolesta/Classicstock/Getty Images)
In fact, the Lone Star State had more than 40 million lightning strikes in 2024, which was more than Florida, Oklahoma and Kansas combined.
By density, Walker County, Texas, had the highest number of lightning strikes with 318 lightning events in 2024.
Only 3 days had no lightning strikes
Only three days, all falling in the month of January, had no lightning in 2024.
Miami airport experiences highest number of lightning activity
The report found that Miami International Airport experiences the highest number of disruptions from thunderstorms, averaging 115 hours of nearby lightning activity per year over the past decade.
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Stunning video: Bolt of lightning strikes parking lot
Cameras atop a communications tower at the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana were able to capture a stunning image of a bolt of lightning that struck a parking lot on Wednesday. (Credit: Facebook.com/StJohnParishSheriff / FOX Weather)
Airports in Orlando and Dallas follow closely behind, with 109 and 64 hours of annual lightning activity, respectively.
Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, saw the highest levels of lightning interaction with wind turbines, with an average of 10 strikes per machine annually.
RELATED: Where, how often does lightning strike in US? New report explains
"Wind turbines are massive structures in relatively flat terrain, attracting lightning activity," the authors of the report stated. "The size and structure of wind turbines mean they also trigger lightning. This happens when a turbine produces upward lightning in response to a nearby naturally occurring lightning flash. Additionally, a turbine can self-initiate a lightning strike without a nearby thunderstorm. This happens when electrification in the air at low altitudes triggers lightning originating from the turbine, usually during cold-weather months."
The team of experts noted that the growing popularity of wind energy, along with the increase in air travel and record heat has brought greater risks and destruction to people’s lives.