At approximately 7:59 p.m., a massive storm rolled over WKNC studios, and we believe a lightning strike knocked out either our main broadcasting tower or one of our relay towers causing us to go off the air. We are still down but our engineers are already working to resolve the issue. Please stay tuned on WKNC’s Twitter account for updated details.
Facts about lightning:
- The average lightning bolt is 6-8 miles long and can easily travel 25 to 40 miles horizontally prior to turning downward toward the ground. In October 2001, the visual lightning detection system measured a single bolt that traveled from Waco to Fort Worth and then Dallas, Texas—a total distance of more than 110 miles.
- About 20 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes occur annually in the USA. That’s just under one per second for the USA and about 100 per second world wide.
- The energy contained in a single lightning stroke can power a 100 watt light bulb for 90 days, which is equivalent to 215 kWh (kilo-Watt hours).
- Typically, more than 2,000 thunderstorms are active throughout the world at any given moment, producing on the order of 100 flashes per second.
- An average of 87 lightning fatalities were reported each year between 1959 and 1995.
- About 10 percent of the people struck by lightning are killed; this leaves the other 90 percent with various types of injuries.
- The primary cause of death from lighting is cardiac arrest.
- Unlike high voltage electrical injuries with which massive internal tissue damage may occur, lightning seldom causes substantial burns.
- Most lightning burns are caused by objects such as rainwater, sweat, metal coins, and necklaces being heated up and causing the burn.
- Adam Kincaid once lost power for 16 hours due to lightning and tried suing the power company who then gave him three months free electricity.