Could you survive a lightning strike?
Lightning can be up to 29982 degrees celcius (54,000 degrees Fahrenheit) (hotter than the surface of the sun!!!) in temperature and travel up to 1609 kilometres 1000 miles per second, so how could we possibly survive it?
We here at How It Works have already discovered that the safest place by far is in a car (check out the article here) but what about if it hits you while you’re out in the open?
With the devastating force on the human body it should not be possible but there are accounts of people surviving. Despite its immense strength, lightning naturally discharges into the ground and not your person. As a result, a good tactic is to crouch or squat down and get as close to the ground as possible. Also, protect your ears from the ensuing thunder clap and make sure only your feet are touching the ground as lightning has been known to rebound back off the ground.
Even if you do take all the recommended precautions, if the lighting strikes the key areas of the heart or the spine, then your chances decrease massively. Even if you do survive, you will almost definitely have accrued major burns and internal injuries from the bolt from the blue.
Take a look at this video below to find out more if you’re ever caught out in a storm.