Where will lighting strike?
Michael McQuilken will never forget the day lightning struck his younger brother.
On August 20, 1975, he and Sean hiked to the top of Moro Rock together with their sister Mary and her friend Margie. This granite dome resides in California’s Sequoia National Park. As dark clouds gathered overhead, a light rain started to fall. Another hiker noticed Mary’s long hair standing on end.
Michael snapped his sister’s picture. Laughing, Mary told him that his hair, too, was standing on end. So was Sean’s. Michael passed the camera to Mary, who took a photo of her smiling brothers. Then the temperature fell, bringing hail, Michael recalls. So their team headed down. They didn’t realize they were in danger. Immediate danger.
Within minutes, lightning would injure Sean — and kill another hiker nearby.
Read more at Science News for Students.
Image courtesy Michael McQuilken.