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How hot is lightning?

The temperature of the air around a bolt of lightning is about 54,000° Fahrenheit (30,000° Celsius), which is six times hotter than the surface of the sun.

Remarkably, many people have been struck by lightning and survived. American park ranger Roy Sullivan, for example, was hit by lightning seven times between 1942 and 1977. As long as the lightning does not pass through the heart or spinal column, the victim of a lightning strike will most likely survive.

Sources: How in the World?: A Fascinating Journey Through the World of Human Ingenuity, p. 298; Magill, Frank N. Magill's Survey of Science: Earth Science Series, vol. 3, p. 1374.

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