CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Lightning strikes in Northeast Florida have caused serious damage to property in the last few days.
Neighbors said a house fire in Clay County was sparked by lightning Monday afternoon during the intense storms.
The News4Jax Weather Authority tracked 92 lightning strikes in that area during the 10-minute period when the call first came in.
On Sunday, lightning struck the back of an Interlachen house and then jumped across the street near a driveway. News4JAX went to the Museum of Science and History to learn how all this happens.
Related: Video captures Interlachen woman’s near miss with lightning strike that hit her property
“So lightning itself is instantly in a small space very hot,” said Eddie Whisler, the Director of the Bryan-Gooding Planetarium at MOSH. “It can be various different temperatures. And it depends on what part of what house what the materials are made of.”
Whisler said lighting is the consequence of a static charge built in the atmosphere, until it discharges, creating what we see and hear.
He gave us an example with a machine named “Sparky” that creates negative charges.
We used a wand, which would be equivalent to a house or a tree, and sparks popped when we moved the wand closer to Sparky.
It looked cool, but there is nothing cool about losing your home.
You’ve probably heard of lightning rods or surge protectors to protect your home from lightning. But not even the National Weather Service has taken a stance on what’s best.
They sent News4JAX this statement: “As a government agency, the National Weather Service has not taken a position on lightning rods (similar to how we do not endorse one type of radar software over another). That said, we certainly don’t discourage their use.”
According to the website, lightning rods are designed to protect a house or building from a direct lightning strike by creating a path into the ground.
The components must be properly connected to minimize the chances of sparks or side flashes.
NWS said complete lightning protection systems help prevent harmful electrical surges and possible fires caused by lightning.
They said any lightning protection system should follow national safety standards and requirements of the Lightening Protection Institute, National Fire Protection Association, and Underwrites Laboratories.