Is it true that lightning never strikes the same place twice?
No — the evidence does not support this claim.
Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
What the evidence shows
Lightning frequently strikes the same place more than once, especially tall, isolated, pointed structures. The Empire State Building is hit roughly two dozen times a year. The saying is a figure of speech, not an accurate description of how lightning behaves.
This summary describes a fact-check originally published by National Weather Service (NOAA). FactGuard did not conduct this review; we summarize it and link to the original. Read the original fact-check by National Weather Service (NOAA) →
Sources
- National Weather Service
- NOAA
Published 2026-06-07 · Last reviewed 2026-06-07
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