According to Professor Martin Uman, one of the world's leading lightning experts:

Lightning is an effect of electrification within a thunderstorm. As the

thunderstorm develops, interactions of charged particles produce an

intense electrical field within the cloud. A large positive charge is

usually concentrated in the frozen upper layers of the cloud and a large

negative charge with a smaller positive are is found in the lower portions. (4)

This produces what you see, a lightning flash, which may be "two or 300 feet long" (25). The flash itself may be only as wide as a pencil, but because it is extremely hot, hotter than the sun, its glow appears to be very wide to the human ey

Lightning, being a natural occurrence, is very unpredictable which makes it even more dangerous. Martin Uman, director of the University of Florida's Lightning Research Laboratory is quoted in Omni saying, "A man was talking on a telephone near Gainesville, Florida, when lightning hit the wires. He died instantly, electrocuted. Three or four people die that way every year" (Wolkomir 1). It is hard to believe that someone could just die while using the phone. You never know what will happen next when it comes to lightning.

In fact, even in recent weeks, the state of New Jersey was hit by lightning causing various dangers. On June 6, 1996, a Sewaren oil storage tank in Woodbridge, New Jersey, was hit by lightning causing a ferocious explosion. This fire blazed for an unbelievable 28 hours. According to a staff report in the Asbury Park Press, two employees attempting to turn off the power to the area "suffered electrical burns, and were apparently the only casualties" (A1). Fortunately, the

this adds to the general effect of expansion. (143)

cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pathways. Since the CSF pathway narrows

Although lightning kills many Americans every year, luckily some victims of lightning hits have lived to tell about the experience. More than a year after lightning nearly killed him during football practice, Tony Trice still does not want to talk about it (Newcott 90). According to eyewitnesses in Burtonsville, Maryland: "They saw a bolt tear a hole in the high schooler's helmet, burn his jersey, and blow his shoes off. Toy's breathing stopped, but he was resuscitated on the spot" (90). It is unbelievable that this teenager survived after being hit by one of nature's unpredictable and deadliest forces. How is it possible someone could survive after being struck by lightning? Researchers at the University of Queenland in Australia have traced the path followed by lightning when it enters a living creature (Dayton 1) and according these researchers:

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3125
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)