“Lightning never strikes the same place twice”

The common saying that lightning never strikes the same place twice is a widely held misconception, often used metaphorically to suggest that an unusual or unfortunate event won't happen again. This idea likely originated from the seemingly random and rare nature of lightning strikes observed by early civilizations, leading to the belief that once a spot was hit, it was somehow "safe" from future bolts. Before modern scientific understanding of electricity and weather patterns, the sheer unpredictability of lightning might have reinforced this comforting, yet inaccurate, piece of folklore.

In reality, scientific evidence clearly busts this myth. Lightning frequently strikes the same location repeatedly, especially targeting tall, isolated, or highly conductive structures. For instance, iconic landmarks like the Empire State Building are struck by lightning approximately 20 to 25 times each year, and the Eiffel Tower experiences about ten strikes annually. This occurs because lightning seeks the path of least electrical resistance to the ground. Once a structure or natural formation, such as a tall building or a lone tree, provides an easy conduit for electrical discharge, it becomes a preferred target for subsequent strikes. Furthermore, research has revealed that thunderclouds don't always fully dissipate their negative charges in a single flash, with residual charges stored in "needles" that can lead to repeated discharges to the same point.

People often continue to believe this myth due to a combination of factors. For most ordinary locations on the ground, the probability of being struck by lightning is indeed very low, making a second strike seem statistically improbable to the casual observer. The phrase also offers a psychological comfort, suggesting that bad luck or rare events are unlikely to recur. However, the consistent data from lightning detection networks and numerous documented cases, including that of U.S. park ranger Roy Sullivan who survived seven lightning strikes, unequivocally demonstrate that lightning has no memory and will return to advantageous targets again and again.