How many volts are in a lightning strike ?

braveheart22 (43)in #nature • 8 years ago (edited)

A lightning strike has enormous power ,we know that . But how big ?

After several studies ,the specialists came to the conclusion that a lightning strike has from 5 kA to 200 kA and voltages vary from 40 kV to 120 kV .

So for example , let's say is 100 kA and 100 kV ,making some calculations ,the result is :

P = 100×10(3) A x 100 x 10(3) V
= 10,000 x 106 VA or Watts
= 1 x 10(10) Watts ,so is 10 billion Watts !

[ * 10(3) mean 10x10x10 ]

But can that power a town ?

For example one house needs 2,000 Watts/hour ,that mean 48,000 Watts/day.
So for one day ,a lightning strike power can support a 56-house town ,so a very little town :)

A majority of lightning occurs in the storm cloud itself , only 10/2% of all lightning reaches the ground.

The air around a lightning strike is X3 hotter than the surface of the sun (that is 5,500 C).

The air temperature can reach 30,000 degrees Celsius !

Let's take a look at this fantastic video that captured unprecedented moments :

So be careful the next time when you'll meet a storm :)

Your @braveheart22 ,