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2 - Lightning damage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 November 2009

Martin A. Uman
Martin A. Uman
Affiliation:
University of Florida
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Summary

Overview: the cost of various types of lightning damage

In the early evening of July 13, 1977, lightning struck one or more 345 000 volt (345 kV) transmission lines located about 30 miles north of New York City. Those transmission lines supplied electrical power to the New York City metropolitan area. A chain reaction of electrical events ensued with the result that electricity was lost to all of the City by 9:34 p.m. It was the next night, the night of July 14, before all electrical power was restored. About 9 million people spent a night and a day without any electricity. By the time that the blackout ended, nearly 2000 stores and businesses had been looted or damaged, and more than 3500 people had been arrested. The cost of this lightning-caused blackout has been estimated at $350 million (Sugarman 1978). A detailed technical description of its causes is found in Wilson and Zarakas (1978) and a complete bibliography of publications concerning the blackout (including testimony before Congressional committees, books, and magazine articles) is found at http://chnm.gmu.edu/search_results.php?query=new%20york%20city%20blackout.

In Minnesota on June 25, 1998, two separate lightning flashes struck and caused the de-energization of two separate 345 kV transmission lines, initiating the cascading removal of overloaded lower voltage lines from service. In a short period of time, significant portions of Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan were without electrical power and remained so for about 19 hours.

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Chapter
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The Art and Science of Lightning Protection , pp. 25 - 42
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

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  • Lightning damage
  • Martin A. Uman, University of Florida
  • Book: The Art and Science of Lightning Protection
  • Online publication: 17 November 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511585890.003
Available formats
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  • Lightning damage
  • Martin A. Uman, University of Florida
  • Book: The Art and Science of Lightning Protection
  • Online publication: 17 November 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511585890.003
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Lightning damage
  • Martin A. Uman, University of Florida
  • Book: The Art and Science of Lightning Protection
  • Online publication: 17 November 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511585890.003
Available formats
×