Roy Sullivan was struck by lightning seven times – more than any other person

This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast from Chris Mei of The Weather Network featuring stories about people, communities and events and their impact on the weather.

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Roy Sullivan was born on Wednesday, February 7, 1912, in Greene County, Virginia. Sullivan was an American park ranger in Shenandoah National Park. He was struck by lightning seven times between 1942 and 1977.

Sullivan survived the seven lightning strikes and was dubbed the “human lightning rod.” He is currently in the Guinness Book of World Records for “Most lightning strikes survived.”

A lightning strike consists of several hundred million volts. Over a period of 80 years, the probability of being struck by lightning is about 1 in 10,000. The probability drops considerably if you extrapolate it to seven lightning strikes.

The mathematical probabilities don’t really apply to Sullivan’s situation because he was at higher risk. Due to the nature of his work, but also the location, he was more likely to be hit. Virginia has an average of 35 to 45 thunderstorm days per year.

Sullivan was first struck in April 1942. During a thunderstorm, he sought shelter in a fire lookout tower. The tower had no lightning rod and the building caught fire. He went outside and was struck by lightning. The lightning burned a half-inch wide strip down his right leg and struck his toe, creating a hole in his shoe.

Roy Sullivan. Courtesy of Wikipedia

He subsequently suffered a stroke in July 1969 (loss of eyebrows), July 1970, April 1972, August 1973, June 1976 and June 1977.

On Saturday, June 25, 1977, Sullivan was struck while fishing. Lightning struck his head and set his hair on fire. Lightning pierced him and burned his chest and stomach.

To learn more about Roy Sullivan and lightning strikes, listen to today’s episode of This Day In Weather History.

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