Country homes and barns are often the highest points in a farm landscape, and therefore are notorious lightning attractors, so it's crucial to invest in a reliable lightning-protection system.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, lightning can indeed strike the same place twice. The Empire State Building in New York City has been hit as many as 48 times in a year.
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Lightning occurs when violent winds inside clouds separate positive and negative charged air particles into layers, with the negative charges at the bottom of the cloud. When enough negative charged particles accumulate, they will arc through as much as a mile of air to meet the positive charges on the ground.
A spike protector is designed to be plugged into a 3-prong electric wall socket connected to an independent ground, as well as to the power-in and power-out lines. The wire ground is essential if a spike protector is to function.