A lightning strike can cause life-changing injuries and even death in the space of just milliseconds.
But as these extraordinary images show, a lucky few manage to escape long-term injuries and are instead left with unique markings known as Lichtenberg figures or 'lightning flowers'.
While a single bolt is made up of several 100 million volts and has the capacity to inflict permanent organ damage, some victims experience a so-called 'flashover effect' where the electricity passes over the surface of a person’s skin.
In such cases, survivors are left with temporary markings described as a 'fern-like erythema', which are thought to be the result of ruptured capillaries.
According to the Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS), this occurs when electrons from the lightning are 'driven into the epidermis and radiate outward from successive points in a fractal pattern of repeated bifurcations'.
The odds of getting struck by lightning are roughly one in 10 million, according to the BMJ.
While the Met Office report that a lightning strike travels at a speed of 270,000 mph, measures 2-3cm in width and can reach a temperature of 30,000 °C - that's five times hotter than the surface of the Sun.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
