“Lightning never strikes the same place twice.”

The common saying that lightning never strikes the same place twice likely emerged from anecdotal observations and a natural human tendency to seek reassurance that bad luck won't repeat itself. Before modern scientific understanding of electricity and weather patterns, lightning appeared to be a random and unpredictable force of nature, making the idea of it hitting the exact same spot again seem highly improbable. The phrase became a comforting metaphor for rare events, suggesting that once something unlikely or unfortunate occurs, it's safe from happening again.

However, scientific evidence clearly busts this myth. Lightning is an electrical discharge that consistently seeks the path of least resistance to the ground. This means that tall, isolated, or highly conductive structures, such as skyscrapers, communication towers, and prominent trees, are repeatedly targeted. For instance, the Empire State Building in New York City is famously struck by lightning dozens of times each year, with estimates ranging from 25 to 100 strikes annually. What often appears as a single flash can also be multiple individual strikes, or "strokes," rapidly following the same ionized channel to the ground.

People often continue to believe this myth because they rarely witness multiple strikes to the identical spot in quick succession, and the sheer power of a lightning strike makes it seem like a "one and done" event. Yet, the physics of electricity dictates that if a location offers a consistently easy route for electrical discharge, lightning will indeed revisit it. Understanding this reality is crucial for lightning safety, as a place struck once is not necessarily safe from future strikes during the same or subsequent storms.