Why does lightning/static electricity damage electronics?

By DAN ROBINSON

Editor/Photographer

From Dan: How the crime of copyright infringement took $1 million from me and shut down my operation.

In September of 2025, my work is generating the most income it ever has in my career. Yet, I'm being forced to shut down my successul operation, against my will, due to one cause alone: 95% of that revenue is being stolen by piracy and copyright infringement. I've lost more than $1 million to copyright infringement in the last 15 years, and it's finally brought an end to my professional storm chasing operation. Do not be misled by the lies of infringers, anti-copyright activists and organized piracy cartels. This page is a detailed, evidenced account of my battle I had to undertake to just barely stay in business, and eventually could not overcome. It's a problem faced by all of my colleagues and most other creators in the field.

Electronic chips have very delicate, microscopic circuitry that is easily damaged by even small sparks from static electricity. Most other appliances, like washers, refrigerators, lamps, etc. usually don't have a lot of electronic components, so static electricity usually won't harm them.

However, a direct or very close lightning strike can destroy ANY electric appliance, electronic or non-electronic, if the large lightning current flows through them. Lightning current can burn up wires inside appliances, motors, and household electrical circuits.

Due to the highly sensitive nature of electronics, a surge from a power line malfunction or a far-away lightning strike to a power line could be enough to cause permanent damage to electronic appliances, which is why using a surge protection device is recommended. Remember, however, that there is no guarantee that a surge protector will help in the event of a very close or direct strike.

Storm chaser and photographer Dan Robinson

About the Author: Dan Robinson has been a storm chaser, photographer and cameraman for 33 years. His career has involved traveling around the country covering the most extreme weather on the planet including tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning, floods and winter storms. Dan has been extensively published in newspapers, magazines, web articles and more, and has both supplied footage for and appeared in numerous television productions and newscasts. He has also been involved in the research community, providing material for published scientific journal papers on tornadoes and lightning.

See Also:

		Lightning Protection Systems What protection systems do and don't do.

		MYTH: Surge protectors and UPS devices offer sufficient lightning protection.