Lightning is one of the most dangerous natural forces and we are powerless to prevent its occurrence. There are approximately 40 or 50 flashes around the world every second, amounting to 1.4 billion flashes every year. Lightning is responsible for many injuries and fatalities as well as damage to buildings, electrical equipment and power lines. Additionally, lightning causes airlines billions every year in delayed and re-routed flights. Safety, environmental and economical reasons have resulted in the mapping of the world’s lightning activity in an attempt to understand it and protect ourselves from its effects.

Lightning distribution is unfortunately not uniform. The perfect conditions for the production of lightning generally occur where heated, moist air rises and mixes with the cold air above. The fact is that these conditions occur all over the earth on a daily basis.

NASA has satellites equipped with sensors that orbit the earth in order to detect lightning. The data that the sensors collect is then transmitted to earth and used to construct a geographic record of lightning activity. There are a greater number of lightning occurrences over land than water because sunshine heats the surface of land faster than the ocean. The land then heats the air above which rises to meet the cold air and it is the interaction of air masses at different temperatures that stimulates lightning and thunderstorms.

Lightning mapping has become important for several reasons. It can facilitate severe storm detection and warnings, predict and prevent potential aviation hazards and enable warnings to be sent to power companies, golf courses, fuel depots and many other vulnerable locations. It can also aid forest fire forecasting and most importantly help us to understand the global electrical circuit.

Mapping cannot tell us when lightning will strike, and when it comes to individual properties it is important to install adequate protection. We specialise in the design, installation and testing of quality Wolverhampton lightning protection and surge protection solutions, and we provide reliable systems that keep your property and appliances safe from lightning strikes.