Can lightning strike the same place twice?

Asked by: Rob Graham

Structures like the Eiffel Tower have been struck by lightning many times, purely because they are tall metal towers. Things are different when you consider a less obvious place for it to strike. If you think of a flat stretch of land in the middle of a park, lightning probably won’t strike twice in any precise spot. It also depends on how you define the place. If you choose something like the size of a footaball pitch, you are more likely to get a lightning strike than if you choose something the size of a coin. Lightning can also strike the same person more than once – for example, Roy Sullivan was struck no less than seven times.

José Monteiro