Does Lightning Never Strike the Same Place Twice? The NOAA Answer
False. Lightning routinely strikes the same location many times. The Empire State Building is struck by lightning approximately 25 times per year. Lightning rods, skyscrapers, and tall isolated trees are struck repeatedly because they provide the path of least resistance to ground.
"Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice" is a myth. The scientific consensus is clear, the primary sources are documented above, and the exact origin of the false belief can be traced. Read on for the full evidence.
"Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice"
False.
"Lightning never strikes the same place twice" is one of those sayings that functions more as folk wisdom about unlikely coincidences than as a meteorological claim. Used figuratively — as in, "don't worry, lightning never strikes the same place twice" — it means something about improbability. The problem is that people also believe it literally, which makes it false in a way that has genuine safety implications. Lightning absolutely, routinely, and predictably strikes the same locations repeatedly. This is not a fringe finding — it is the foundational principle behind every lightning rod ever installed.
The Physics of Lightning Strikes
Lightning does not strike randomly. It follows the path of least electrical resistance between a charged storm cloud and the ground below. Any tall, pointed, or conductive structure creates a preferential pathway for this discharge. This is basic electrostatics: charge concentrates at points and edges, creating strong electric fields that can initiate the stepped leader — the branching, invisible channel of ionized air that precedes a lightning bolt. Once a path has been established, it remains a preferred pathway for future strikes from the same storm and from subsequent storms. This is not a coincidence or a quirk — it is a physical consequence of the geometry and conductivity of the structure. The more conductive and more elevated a structure is, the more frequently it will be struck. This principle is the entire scientific basis for the lightning rod, invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1752. Franklin's insight was precisely that lightning strikes in predictable patterns and that a properly positioned conductor can direct those strikes safely to ground.
The Empire State Building: A Case Study
The Empire State Building is struck by lightning approximately 25 times per year, according to data collected by the building's management and verified by the National Weather Service. During particularly active electrical storms, it can be struck multiple times in a single hour. High-speed photographs have captured multiple strikes to the same point of the building within seconds of each other during a single storm. This is not unusual behavior — it is the expected behavior for a 443-meter-tall steel structure in a city with an active thunderstorm climate. Other tall structures show the same pattern. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, the CN Tower in Toronto, and the Willis Tower in Chicago are all struck dozens of times per year. The CN Tower, at 553 meters, is struck an average of 75 times annually, with monitoring equipment on the tower providing precise strike counts. This data is publicly available and has been verified by multiple independent sources. The pattern is identical worldwide: tall conducting structures are struck repeatedly, in proportion to their height, conductivity, and the local storm frequency.
Safety Implications of the Myth
The belief that lightning won't strike the same place twice has caused real harm. People who shelter under a tree that was struck moments earlier, reasoning that it is now "safe," are wrong — the struck tree (or its root system, which remains conductive) may attract further strikes from the same storm. People who remain outdoors after being near a strike, reasoning that lightning "moves on," may be caught by a second or third discharge. NOAA's lightning safety guidelines specifically address this: seek shelter immediately and remain sheltered until 30 minutes after the last thunder. The 30-minute rule exists precisely because lightning can and does return to the same area repeatedly within a single storm. Lightning safety education consistently treats the "same place twice" myth as a dangerous misconception that must be corrected. The safe response to any lightning threat is to get inside a substantial building or a hard-topped vehicle and stay there.
The Verdict
Lightning absolutely strikes the same place twice — and the third, fourth, and fifth time too. The Empire State Building is struck roughly 25 times per year. Lightning rods work precisely because lightning is attracted to the same elevated, conductive points repeatedly. The myth is false as a meteorological claim and potentially dangerous as a guide to behavior during storms.
Lightning Rods and the Science of Preferred Strike Points
The practical demonstration that lightning strikes the same location repeatedly is not a modern discovery. Benjamin Franklin understood this principle when he invented the lightning rod in 1752. Franklin's insight was precisely that tall, pointed, conductive objects reliably attract lightning — making them both the problem and the solution. A properly installed lightning rod exploits the physical tendency of lightning to strike preferentially elevated conductive points, and provides a low-resistance path to ground so that when the strike occurs, it bypasses the building structure entirely. Lightning rods installed on churches, barns, and homes across Europe and North America throughout the 18th and 19th centuries provided empirical confirmation of the principle: the same structures that had been struck by lightning before installation were struck through the rod after installation, confirming that the rod was attracting the strike it was designed to redirect. Modern lightning protection systems operate on the same principle, scaled up for skyscrapers. The CN Tower in Toronto, at 553 meters, has a comprehensive monitoring system that records every strike with precise timing. The tower averages 75 lightning strikes per year. On particularly active storm days, it can receive multiple strikes within a single thunderstorm — sometimes within minutes of each other. This is not coincidence or bad luck. It is the expected behavior of the tallest conducting object within a large radius. The "never strikes twice" myth, if taken seriously, would imply that lightning rods stop working after the first strike — which would make them literally counterproductive. The practical success of lightning protection technology for over 270 years is itself a standing refutation of the myth.
Primary Sources
- [1] NOAA National Weather Service (2023). Lightning Safety — Science and Physics. NOAA. ↗ Source
- [2] Rakov, V. A. & Uman, M. A. (2003). Lightning: Physics and Effects. Cambridge University Press. ↗ Source
- [3] Empire State Building Operations (2022). Lightning Strike Data — Empire State Building. Empire State Building Annual Report. ↗ Source
Frequently Asked Questions
Does lightning ever strike the same place twice?
Yes, constantly. Lightning follows the path of least resistance, and tall conductive structures consistently provide that path. The Empire State Building is struck about 25 times per year. The CN Tower in Toronto averages 75 strikes per year. The myth is entirely false as a meteorological claim.
Why do some places get struck by lightning repeatedly?
Tall, conductive, or pointed structures create preferential pathways for lightning by concentrating electrical charge at their tips. Once a path has been established, it tends to be reused. This is why lightning rods work — they provide a conductive path that attracts strikes repeatedly and safely directs the energy to ground.
Is it safe to stay near a tree that was just struck by lightning?
No. A struck tree or its root system may attract further strikes from the same storm. NOAA recommends staying indoors for 30 minutes after the last thunder, as storms can produce multiple strikes to the same area.
How many times does lightning strike Earth per second?
Approximately 100 times per second, or about 8 million times per day globally. Most of these strikes are cloud-to-cloud rather than cloud-to-ground. Of the roughly 1.4 billion lightning strikes per year, approximately 25 percent reach the ground. The United States alone is struck by an estimated 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes annually, according to NOAA data.
What makes some places struck by lightning more often than others?
Height, conductivity, and isolation from other tall objects are the primary factors. A tall isolated tree on a hilltop is struck far more often than a similar tree in a dense forest. Urban areas with skyscrapers have complex patterns — the tallest buildings channel most strikes. Geographic factors also matter: areas with high moisture, frequent thunderstorm activity, and certain soil conductivities have higher strike rates.
Can a person be struck by lightning twice?
Yes, and it has happened. Roy Sullivan, a U.S. park ranger, was struck by lightning seven times during his career, surviving each strike and earning a place in the Guinness World Records. The same physics that applies to buildings applies to people — someone who works outdoors in lightning-prone areas for decades, in environments where they are a locally elevated conducting object, faces repeated exposure.
How We Verified This Claim
SmartAss Facts evaluates every popular belief against a three-tier source hierarchy: primary sources (peer-reviewed research, government datasets, and court records), secondary sources (reputable journalism citing the primary), and tertiary sources (blogs and general reference sites). Only primary sources are cited. If a claim can only be traced to a blog or an unsourced assertion, it is not used.
For this myth — Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice — we reviewed the cited primary sources above, cross-referenced against independent scientific literature, and confirmed the verdict with the consensus position of relevant professional bodies (including the sources listed). The claim was then fact-checked against the SmartAss Facts database of over 5,000 verified facts to identify related content.
If you believe our verdict is incorrect or you have a more recent primary source that changes the analysis, the science always wins — we revise pages when the evidence warrants it. Last reviewed: 2026-05.
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