5 FACTS LIGHTNING STRIKES

1 LIGHTNING SPEED

It would take 55 minutes for a lightning strike to travel from Earth to the Moon.

2 HIGH ACTIVITY

Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is struck by lightning up to 28 times a minute for nine hours every day on average – more than any other place on Earth.

3 STRIKINGLY COMMON

Around the world there are about 3 million lightning strikes every day, resulting in 1.4 billion a year.

4 INTENSE HEAT

As the built-up electric charge travels down the thin path of a lightning bolt, its temperature can reach five times that of the Sun’s surface, at nearly 30,000 Celsius.

5 NATURAL GLASS-MAKING

When lightning hits sand, it can cause the grains to meld together into a glass-like material.