Lightning strike at Venice Beach, California, kills one and injures eight
- 9 years ago
One person was killed and at least eight others were injured during a lightning strike at Venice Beach in California on Sunday (July 28).
The lightning strike took place at about 2:50 p.m. near the 3500 block of South Ocean Front Walk, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Katherine Mann. The department said there was a rare series of thunderstorms in the area on Sunday afternoon.
A bolt of lightning apparently struck water near the pier, electrifying it and electrocuting swimmers and surfers in the area. Initially, only three people were reported to have been hit by lightning. That number was later revised to seven, then to nine.
The National Weather Service warned of “cloud to ground” lightning over Marina Del Rey and LAX, urging anyone who heard thunder in the area to stay indoors.
This animation illustrates what causes cloud to ground lightning to occur, what happens when a person is hit by lightning, and the various ways a person can struck.
When negative electrons in clouds repel electrons on the ground, the surface of the planet becomes positively charged. In a storm, ionized air molecules then discharge the electrical field back to Earth to neutralize the charge difference — this is lightning.
A lightning strike can course through a person in just three milliseconds, generating 300 kV of electricity. Third degree burns are caused at lightning entry and exit points in a person’s body, and surrounding air is heated to 50,000 °F. The extreme heat can also shred a person’s clothing. A lightning strike can cause brain damage, burst blood vessels, cause pulmonary edema and upset the heart’s electrical rhythm
Various ways a person can be struck by lightning include direct strike, when lightning hits a person directly; side flash, when lightning hits something close by and jumps to a person; contact potential, when a person is touching an object struck by lightning; step voltage, when lightning dispersed through the ground enters and exits the
The lightning strike took place at about 2:50 p.m. near the 3500 block of South Ocean Front Walk, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Katherine Mann. The department said there was a rare series of thunderstorms in the area on Sunday afternoon.
A bolt of lightning apparently struck water near the pier, electrifying it and electrocuting swimmers and surfers in the area. Initially, only three people were reported to have been hit by lightning. That number was later revised to seven, then to nine.
The National Weather Service warned of “cloud to ground” lightning over Marina Del Rey and LAX, urging anyone who heard thunder in the area to stay indoors.
This animation illustrates what causes cloud to ground lightning to occur, what happens when a person is hit by lightning, and the various ways a person can struck.
When negative electrons in clouds repel electrons on the ground, the surface of the planet becomes positively charged. In a storm, ionized air molecules then discharge the electrical field back to Earth to neutralize the charge difference — this is lightning.
A lightning strike can course through a person in just three milliseconds, generating 300 kV of electricity. Third degree burns are caused at lightning entry and exit points in a person’s body, and surrounding air is heated to 50,000 °F. The extreme heat can also shred a person’s clothing. A lightning strike can cause brain damage, burst blood vessels, cause pulmonary edema and upset the heart’s electrical rhythm
Various ways a person can be struck by lightning include direct strike, when lightning hits a person directly; side flash, when lightning hits something close by and jumps to a person; contact potential, when a person is touching an object struck by lightning; step voltage, when lightning dispersed through the ground enters and exits the