Furse

Lightning is one of nature’s most powerful and destructive phenomena. Lightning strikes present a real and significant threat - to life, to the structures in which we live and work, and to the electronic systems which support us in our daily lives.

Lightning contains awesome amounts of electrical energy. Lightning discharges have been measured from several thousand to over 200,000 Amps (enough to light half a million 100 Watt bulbs) and even though of a very short duration, can cause tremendous damage and destruction.

The consequences of lightning can be devastating:

• Direct lightning strikes damage structures, and create fire, explosion and electric shock hazards.
• Indirect lightning (up to a kilometre away) creates transient overvoltages which degrade electronic systems and disrupt essential services.