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Circle of Lightning
Photograph by Lynda Smith, My Shot
Lightning forks and rejoins itself over Table Mountain and Lion's Head in Cape Town, South Africa. Central Africa is the area of the world where lightning strikes most frequently.
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Grand Canyon, Arizona
Photograph by Michael Nichols, National Geographic
A dramatic cloudburst releases jagged bolts of lightning deep into the Grand Canyon near Point Sublime.
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Lightning Over Las Cruces
Photograph by Lionel Brown, Getty Images
Two large lightning bolts strike the ground near Las Cruces, New Mexico. Though human eyes perceive the opposite, lightning moves from the ground up to the cloud.
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City Strike
Photograph by Mavroudakis Fotis, My Shot
Lightning strikes Kavala, Greece. The ancient Greek god Zeus was said to control lightning, but today we know lightning comes from a difference in electrical charge between clouds and the ground or among clouds.
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Oriental Pearl Lightning Strike
Photograph by Sung Ming Whang, My Shot
A bolt of lightning strikes the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in Shanghai, China.
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Cochise County, Arizona
Photograph by Steven Maguire, My Shot
A thunderstorm passes behind the Cochise County courthouse in Arizona. Despite being in a dry part of the country, southeastern Arizona averages 30 to 40 thunderstorms a year.
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Bolts on the Water
Photograph by Fotis Mavroudakis, My Shot
Several bolts of lightning strike the water off the coast of Kavala, Greece. Lightning can strike anything that can become electrically charged—including water.
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Lightning Over Malaysia
Photograph by Ahmed Arup Kamal, My Shot
Lightning illuminates the horizon behind a Malaysian cityscape.
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Johannesburg, South Africa
Photograph by Themba Hadebe, Associated Press
Tall towers are frequent targets of lightning strikes, because there is less air to act as an insulator between the tower and a cloud. In this case, it is the Hillbrow Telkom Tower in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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Tucson, Arizona
Photograph by Ralph Wetmore, Getty Images
The Tucson, Arizona, skyline is illuminated by a bolt of lightning.
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Hopewell, Virginia
Photograph by Rick Kidd, My Shot
The inhabitants of a powerboat turn on their lights just as a bolt of lightning hits the ground behind it. Covered, walled structures are the best places to take refuge from a thunderstorm.
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Desert Lightning
Photograph by Pete Gregoire, My Shot
Saguaro cacti stand in the desert as a thunderstorm rolls overhead. Lightning in dry areas increases the risk of brush fires.
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Positive Lightning
Photograph by Kara Swanson, My Shot
Lightning arcs from the top of a cloud to the horizon off the coast of the Bahamas. Lightning that comes from the top of the cloud can be positive lightning, which is rare but can be significantly more powerful than more common negative lightning. It can also strike farther from the cloud, up to 10 miles (16 kilometers) away.
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Lightning Strikes Twice
Photograph by Cui Jingyin, Imaginechina/AP
Foshan, China, is hit by two simultaneous lightning strikes.
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