Why is Tampa Florida considered the Lightening capital of the World?

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   Don Bobbittposted 12 years ago

   Why is Tampa Florida considered the Lightening capital of the World?
   
   What is it that makes the area of Tampa so susceptible to lightning strikes.
   Is it the minerals in the ground?
   Is it caused by some strange population anomaly?
   Is it the type of water in the Gulf of Mexico?
   
   
   

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2. 0

   Curiadposted 12 years ago

   I think the main reasons are the geographic location and the earth's weather patterns. If you consider that Tampa is right on the Gulf coast, and not very far from the Atlantic ocean, you realize that the amounts of moisture in the air can be huge.
   
   Tampa gets the very warm moist subtropic air from the south moving up through the gulf, as well as the cooler air coming down with the gulf-stream from Canada. When these two vastly different air masses meet there is potential for huge amounts of energy to be released.
   
   Also Tampa sits at a latitude of 27.9472 degrees which places it in a warm latitude in the earth's weather patterns.
   
   So in a nutshell, the latitude, the cold and warm air masses and the moisture all combine in an often violent display of the universe's energy.

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      Mr. Happyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Canada always gets blaimed : (   Haha!!

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      Hawaiian Scribeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      What a thorough answer, thank you!

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      Daisy Mariposaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Mark (Curiad),
      
      I think you ought to write a Hub about this. Your answer is excellent.

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      KevinTimothyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      VERY excellent explanation and like Daisy stated, you really should create a hub about this. While on the topic of lightning, Curiad, how would you explain why Tampa Bay seems to miss most hurricanes.

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   Denise Handlonposted 12 years ago

   Gee, I wasn't aware that Tampa was named the 'Lightening capital of the world.'   I thought that title went to the state of North Carolina.  LOL

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   Mcreiterposted 11 years ago

   Florida was known as the "Lightning Capital of the World" (NASA recently released a study that pegged Rwanda, Africa as the true lightning capital of the world.) With more deaths and injuries than all other states combined, Florida ranks as the #1 target for public safety and lightning awareness campaigns.

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