Lightning on tree: Modeling a case study in Brasilia, Brazil

Abstract

There are many records of people and animals victims of lightning while under trees in the thunderstorms. However, there are fewer studies that model cases where lightning strikes a tree and the ground current reaches people far from the trees. This paper offers a case study based on a lightning strike to a tree that injured 31 people sheltering in a nearby masonry building, and presents a simulation model of the event that offers insight into the propagation.