Lightning Protection: West Virginia
With one of the cloudiest climates in the United States, West Virginia gets, in some areas, over 210 cloudy days a year! West Virginia averages about 1,140,587 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes annually.
With hiking being very popular in the state, it is important to know the weather report before you leave. If you cannot avoid a storm, do not use a rocky outcrop for shelter. You should seek lower elevations immediately. See more lightning protection safety tips.
KLP, Kuefler Lightning Protection, is a distributor of lightning protection systems and grounding equipment, offering a full line of UL Listed Lightning Protection System Materials that meet the lightning protection standards of UL96A, NFPA-780 and LPI-175, etc. We offer Direct Sales. Give us a call today at 800 370 5886 to see how we can assist you in the design, installation, maintenance, and inspection of your system.
Lightning Facts!
Florida experiences more lightning than any other U.S. state, but, Venezuela experiences more lightning than anywhere on Earth.
In particular, Lake Maracaibo, right off the Caribbean Sea, holds the record for “highest concentration of lightning,” according to The Guinness Book of World Records. There, you’ll find the Catatumbo lightning—colloquially, and terrifyingly, known as the “everlasting storm”—a weather phenomenon that averages about 260 storm days per year, 150 of which feature lightning. Sometimes, there are nearly 30 lightning flashes per minute.
So, why is this region so lightning-friendly? Scientists theorize that the air above the lake is particularly conductive due to the abundance of methane from oil fields—or perhaps it’s due to some mysterious combination of topography and wind patterns. We only know one thing for certain: Don’t bring your dog (unless you want to scare its fur off).