14.000 Bolts Of
Lightning In Two Days
Although 14.000 bolts of
lightning in two days
seems a lot, Berny
Falls, meteriologist for
the Instituto
Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE), says
that the number is
within the parameters
for electrical
discharges.
In April 2006, 26.749
discharges were recorded
for an average of 891 a
day.
However, the number of
electrical discharges
during Sunday totalled
9.844 and some 4.000 on
Monday over the
Centrally Valley and the
Pacific North (Guanacaste).
The areas with the
heaviest electrical
activity are the Central
Pacific (Jacó, QUepos
and Parrita) and the
west side of the Central
Valley (San Ramón,
Palmares and Naranjo).
"The clouds that produce
the discharges form when
morning are hot and
there is a lot of
humidity in the air",
explained Fallas.
To help count the number
of lighting bolts that
fall on the country, ICE
has four sensors
installed in Limón,
LIberia, Quepos and
Cuidad Quesada (San
Carlos) and takes
readings from three
sensors installed by
Panama, that allow
experts to monitor the
entire Costa Rica /
Panama territory.
To void being hit by
lightning, Fallas
recommends not to be
involved in outdoor
activities like swimming
and not to take refuge
under trees and not to
be talking on the
telephone.
Fallas added that
appliances should all be
disconnected during an
electrical storm as they
can suffer damage from
the high voltage.
Lightning is an
atmospheric discharge of
electricity, which
typically occurs during
thunderstorms, and
sometimes during
volcanic eruptions or
dust storms. How
lightning initially
forms is still a matter
of debate.
And although lightning
is one of the most
beautiful displays in
nature, it is also one
of the most deadly
natural phenomena known
to man. With bolt
temperatures hotter than
the surface of the sun
and shockwaves beaming
out in all directions,
lightning is a lesson in
physical science and
humility.
Lightning Myths from
How Stuff Works
Lightning Myth #1
The tallest objects in a
storm don't always get
struck by lightning.
It's true that taller
objects are closer to
the clouds, but as
discussed previously,
lightning can strike the
ground at a close
distance to a tall
object. Taller objects
may have a higher
possibility of a strike,
but where lightning is
concerned, the strike
path is not predictable.
Lightning Myth #2
Surge protectors won't
save your electronics
(TV, VCR, PC) if
lightning strikes your
power line. Surge
protectors provide
protection for power
surges in the line from
the power company, but
not for lightning. To
really guard against
strike damage, you need
a lightning arrester.
The arrester uses a
gas-filled gap that acts
as an open circuit to
low potentials, but
becomes ionized and
conducts at very high
potentials. If the
lightning hits the line
you are protecting, the
gas gap will conduct the
current safely to
ground.
Lightning Myth #3
Ben Franklin was not
struck by lightning.
Contrary to popular
school teachings, Mr.
Franklin was very lucky
to survive his
experiment. The spark he
saw was a product of the
kite/key system being in
a strong electric field.
Had the kite/key
actually been struck,
Mr. Franklin would
surely have been killed.
Lightning Myth #4
Rubber tires aren't why
you're safe in a car
during a lightning
storm. In strong
electric fields, rubber
tires actually become
more conductive than
insulating. You're safe
in a car because the
lightning will travel
around the surface of
the vehicle and then go
to ground. This occurs
because the vehicle acts
like a Faraday cage.
Michael Faraday, a
British physicist,
discovered that a metal
cage would shield
objects within the cage
when a high potential
discharge hit the cage.
The metal, being a good
conductor, would direct
the current around the
objects and discharge it
safely to the ground.
This process of
shielding is widely used
today to protect the
electrostatic sensitive
integrated circuits in
the electronics world.
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