Originally published in 2000
What You Should Know About Lightning:
The heat generated by lightning exceeds 50,000 degrees F, or three times hotter than the surface of the sun.
Lightning travels at I 00 million feet per second.
An average lightning bolt is one to two inches thick.
The average lightning flash will light a JOO-watt bulb for more than three months.
Lightning kills more people than any other weather event.
Statistically, the most likely place to be struck by lightning in the United States is Florida on a Sunday in July at 4:00 p.m.