“Lightning never strikes the same place twice” is a common phrase you’ve probably heard before, often used to reassure someone that whatever bad thing has happened, it won’t happen again. It can even be used when something good happens, such as winning the lottery, but the underlying truth remains.
Another common question is “Does lighting ever strike in one place twice?”.
In reality, lightning can and will strike the same place twice, whether it be during the same storm or even centuries later. When we see a lightning strike, we’re witnessing the discharge of electricity that has built up in a cloud, which is so strong that it breaks through the ionized air. This creates a stepped leader, or the lightning bolt, that travels downward until it reaches the ground.
What are the odds of lightning striking the same place twice?
In fact, the opposite is true. Lightning is more likely to strike the same place twice, given that the same weather patterns are likely to repeat themselves in the same geographical landscape. But don’t worry too much. In the USA, your odds of being hit by lightning over an 80-year lifespan are roughly one in 3000 .
Myth: Lightning never strikes the same place twice. Fact: Lightning often strikes the same place repeatedly, especially if it’s a tall, pointy, isolated object. The Empire State Building is hit an average of 23 times a year. Myth: If it’s not raining or there aren’t clouds overhead, you’re safe from lightning.
The National Weather Service says the odds of being struck by lightning in any given year are about a million to one. Yet being struck twice isn’t unheard of. A Texas man, for example, told a reporter he was hit by two bolts of lightning in 2013. A man in New Mexico told a local TV station he was hit three times.