What Is Ground Current?
Electricity from a lightning strike that spreads out through the ground. It injures more people than direct strikes do. In technical terms: Current dissipating radially through the soil from a lightning attachment point; the potential difference between a person's feet (step voltage) can drive current through the body, making ground current the leading mechanism of lightning casualties and livestock deaths.
Also called: Step Voltage, Step Potential
Ground Current In Plain English
Electricity from a lightning strike that spreads out through the ground. It injures more people than direct strikes do.
The Technical Definition
Current dissipating radially through the soil from a lightning attachment point; the potential difference between a person's feet (step voltage) can drive current through the body, making ground current the leading mechanism of lightning casualties and livestock deaths.
Lessons That Use Ground Current
- Lightning Safety Unit 7: Thunderstorms And Lightning
