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Old 05-11-2015, 04:34 PM   #8
Civicsman
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Join Date: Jul 2007
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would going down a street between buildings and tall trees be a slight safety factor? Would the fact you are moving add danger?
In my opinion, trees and buildings that are higher than you, and close to you, such as traveling down a street, might provide some protection from being struck directly. They're taller and the lightning leaders have a higher probability of finding a nice, juicy ground path through a building or a tree, before it finds you.

However, if lightning strikes a tree, it can explode, just like someone used explosives. Shrapnel goes everywhere. You can search for photos and videos of situations where this happened.

I think it is very unlikely that one is moving changes the probability very much. According to one source, each lightning strike consists of four "flashes", each about 30 microseconds (millionths of a second) duration. You don't move very far at 12.5 MPH in 120 microseconds.

There are zillions of people who don't take lightning warnings seriously, and every year somewhere between 6,000 and 24,000 people are killed, worldwide (estimates vary). That statistic doesn't include injuries. Most people do not die from being struck by lightning, but they often sustain significant long-term injuries.

You can either take precautions, or decide to go ahead and put up that flagpole in the storm. The dice are yours to roll.
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