Does lightning strike in the middle of the ocean?
Yes, it does strike the middle of the ocean, but not frequently. Lightning results from thunderstorms and specific conditions of temperature differential that tend to come from temperature differentials, air flow intersections, and mountains. Florida for example has lots of thunderstorms and lightning because it is an intersection of moist air masses in the midst of high heat. NASA has beens studying the incidence of lightning, so they have some science in their results. The ocean surface doesn’t warm up as much as land does during the day because of water’s higher heat capacity. Heating of low-lying air is crucial for storm formation, so the oceans don’t experience as many thunderstorms. A lightning bolt strikes the Atlantic Ocean near Florida. According to a new NASA map of global lightning rates, such strikes over open ocean waters are rare. Image courtesy NOAA.
