Though you might think of electricity as the stuff that powers your home, it is actually a completely natural phenomena that occurs in the skies all around us. Scientists figured out how to harness its power and generate light and power to our homes. When you need to have an electricity problem fixed in your house, you call an electrical contractor to perform electrical services. But if you want to deal with the electricity that occurs in the area around your home, you need to understand lightning and its effect on houses and the earth. Lighting is caused when raindrops are carried into the sky and converted to ice. Cloud to ground lightning originates from a mixture of water and ice. The charge moves downward to the ground and produces a channel with a charge. Eventually it strikes something and the circuit is completed. It is the return stroke that produces the luminosity we see in the sky.

Following the completion of the circuit, a clap of thunder is heard. The return stroke that produced the flash has a great deal of energy. The energy heats the air in a millionth of a second to about 50,000 degrees. The air has no time to expand from the heat because it happens so quickly. The built up pressure shoots outward into the surrounding area, compressing the nearby air and creating a disturbance in the air flow. This shock spreads about 10 yards and turns into a sound wave which is the sound of thunder.

The main concern homeowners should have with lightning is how close it has to be to the home to strike. Lightning has been known to strike up to ten miles from the area of a storm. This means if a storm is occurring ten miles from your home and the sky is clear where you live; there is still a risk for a lightning strike. Lightning bolts can travel more than 60 miles once they ignite. The longest bolt ever seen was 188 miles long.

Lightning usually strikes during the summer months. The worst areas of the country are in the southeastern region because there is a lot of moisture in a low-level atmosphere, as well as a high surface temperature. Basically, lightning is more likely in areas that are hot and humid. The mountain areas also see a lot of lightning. Lightning can cause a lot of damage, including the death of people. Lightning currents can bounce off of fences, trees, and tall object. It is impossible to tell if everyone injured or killed by lightning was hit directly of if they were standing near something that was hit. Flashes are also able to travel through the ground, as well as plumbing pipes and telephone lines. So all the times you have been told not to talk on the phone or shower during a storm were more than just old wives’ tales!

It is also important to remember that is something is struck by a flash and you avoid an affiliated strike, you are still not clear of danger. A fire can break out shortly after a strike. Currents can travel through pipes and wires in a home and destroy the entire house. If you are in the midst of a storm, find a safe shelter that is free of any risk from lightning strikes.Ellie Lewis has often called on the expertise of a Dayton Electrical contractor for a home remodel she and her husband are doing. She hired a Dayton electrical services company to update the wiring in her old house.

For more information about electrical contractors go to
http://www.a-abel.com/Electric/Default.aspx .

Author Bio: Ellie Lewis has often called on the expertise of a Dayton Electrical contractor for a home remodel she and her husband are doing. She hired a Dayton electrical services company to update the wiring in her old house.

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