What are the chances of getting struck by lightning?

Question

I wanted to walk my dog a little earlier and there was thunder and lightning outside. I mean you could literally see random flashes of light right outside the window more than a few times. I decided not to and chose to play it safe and risk it. I've seen documentaries and heard stories of where people actually do get struck by lightning at the most random times, and sometimes it's fatal sometimes it isn't. If I would have gone outside and walked my dog for about 30 minutes, what were the chances of this happening, and should I always play it safe or am I overreacting?

Answer 1

i heard your have a better chance of dying by a coconut then being struck by lightning.

fact: about 200 people die by a coconut each year. (i'm guessing it falls off from the tree and drops on the person's head)

Answer 2

you should really play it safe and just stay inside. lighting can strike anywhere, but just walking around town you have a low chance of being struck, but if something strikes a nearby object, the zap can reach you and your doggy. also, the wind and rain from the storm can be dangerous as well.

Answer 3

I think you were wise in not taking the risk.

Yes the risk is low but I always point out the annual average number of fatalities from lightning per year is much greater than that of tornadoes or hurricanes.

I always prefer to take a walk after the storm has passed by. It Is usually cooler and the air smells wonderful.

Answer 4

apparently the chance of getting struck by lightning is greater than the chance of winning the lottery, bet you didnt know that  

Answer 5

The question cannot be answered because there are too many factors in the nature of the ground that influence the chances for lightning to strike where you are.

The only data available is about lightning over a uniform surface, the sea.

In a study about sailboats with aluminum masts the following is observed:

If the mast is not grounded, i.e. not electrically in connection with the sea water, the chances of the lightning bolt to meet the mast is equal to the chance of the lightning bolt striking within a circle of a radius equal to the height of the mast.

If the mast is grounded, that chances are equal to one and half the height of the mast.

Answer 6

This question is all but impossible to figure out theoretically but surveys have been taken and about one in every 600,000 or so people have been struck by lightning. Therefore you could say your chance of getting struck by lightning over the course of your entire life is roughly 1 in 600,000. Lightning stikes are not always fatal as you said, in fact there was a guy who survived 8 lightning strikes but he became very depressed (probably an effect of the electricity on his brain) and killed himself.

Answer 7

Well it's better than winning the lottery, but still very slim