Olympic surfing hopeful killed by lightning strike while training at El Salvador beach

Olympic surfing hopeful, 22, dies after being struck by lightning while training at El Salvador beach Katherine Diaz, 22, was struck by lightening shortly after entering the ocean She was training at El Tunco beach, south of the capital San Salvador  Medics attended the beach but the surfer was pronounced dead at the scene She … Read more

Lightning bolt blows up a tree in perfectly-timed photo 

Gigantic lightning bolt strikes the side of a mountain in New Mexico and blows up a TREE ‘into a million pieces’ in perfectly-timed photo US hiker managed to capture the dramatic photo thanks to ‘luck and right timing’ It shows a hillside in Pecos, New Mexico being zapped by the jet of lightning The blast during heavy … Read more

Lightning bolts ‘unlocked the phosphorus necessary for the creation of DNA’

Lighting striking the surface of planet Earth billions of years ago may have unlocked the phosphorus necessary for the creation of DNA, cells and bones, a new study has revealed. Researchers at Yale and the University of Leeds say the essential spark may have taken a quintillion – a number with 30 zeroes – lightning … Read more

Lightning bolts strike above erupting volcano illuminating the sky an electric purple

The sky above an erupting volcano in Indonesia has turned a stunning electric purple during a lightning storm. Spectacular images captured the spectacle as Mount Sinabung in Karo, North Sumatra, continued to spew a column of ash and smoke up to 16,400ft (5km) into the sky as lightning bolts crackled above. Sinabung leapt back into life … Read more

Weather: ISS detects blue ‘jets’ of lightning shooting upwards from thunder clouds

International Space Station detects blue ‘jets’ of lightning shooting upwards from thunder clouds that could influence greenhouse gas concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere The phenomenon was detected by the European Space Agency’s ASIM device This is a collection of cameras, photometers and an X-ray/gamma ray detector  The blue jet was seen coming from a cloud above the … Read more

Weather: ISS detects blue ‘jets’ of lightning shooting upwards from thunder clouds

International Space Station detects blue ‘jets’ of lightning shooting upwards from thunder clouds that could influence greenhouse gas concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere The phenomenon was detected by the European Space Agency’s ASIM device This is a collection of cameras, photometers and an X-ray/gamma ray detector  The blue jet was seen coming from a cloud above the … Read more

Giraffe’s horns may act like giant lightning rod that makes them vulnerable to fatal electrocution

The knobby ‘horns’ on top of a giraffe’s head may act like a dangerous lightning rod, according to a conservation scientist in South Africa. Two female giraffes were found dead at Rockwood wildlife reserve in Northern Cape after a sudden lightning storm in February. When rangers investigated, they found that one of the older giraffe’s … Read more

California continues battle against three large wildfires sparked by 13,000 lightning strikes

Three massive wildfires as raging in Northern California after they were ignited by more than 13,000 lightning strikes since mid-August, scorching through 1,875 square miles of land and killing seven people.  On Monday firefighters had a brief respite from the flames as humidity rose, but the state is still reeling from dozens of blazes including … Read more

California reeling from more than 20 wildfires after 10,849 lightning strikes

About two dozen large wildfires are blazing across the state California forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate, with Gov. Gavin Newsom ordering a state of emergency. At least 23 massive fires, some triggered by lightning strikes and fueled by a historic heat wave and high winds, stretch from Napa, Sonoma, San Mateo and … Read more

California reeling from more than 20 wildfires after 10,849 lightning strikes

About two dozen large wildfires are blazing across the state California forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate, with Gov. Gavin Newsom ordering a state of emergency. At least 23 massive fires, some triggered by lightning strikes and fueled by a historic heat wave and high winds, stretch from Napa, Sonoma, San Mateo and … Read more