Access

Published online 4 July 2002 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news020701-8

News

Big city, bright lightning

Hot, dirty conurbations are thunderstorm magnets.

Tom Clarke

Large cities are lightning factories. A new study of Houston, Texas, the fourth largest city in the United States, finds that it attracts 40% more bolts-from-the-blue than the surrounding countryside.

Comments

Reader comments are usually moderated after posting. If you find something offensive or inappropriate, you can speed this process by clicking 'Report this comment' (or, if that doesn't work for you, email redesign@nature.com). For more controversial topics, we reserve the right to moderate before comments are published.