This book is a comprehensive resource on lightning and describes the unique roles which the
state of Arizona has with regard to lightning. Not only is it spectacular it is also admired
feared and misunderstood but its knowledge has come of age in the last two decades. This book
describes why Arizona can be called the Lightning Photography Capital of the U.S. how the
general public and Native Americans in Arizona have viewed lightning and when and where
lightning occurs and impacts people and resources in Arizona. It contains summaries of
interviews with current and former University of Arizona staff who invented real-time lightning
detection in the late 1970s and how subsequent lightning research in Arizona has been globally
significant. The authors are very well acquainted with and up to date on these topics. The
style of this book is active and somewhat scholarly but readable by the nonprofessional with a
general interest in lightning. What is lightning? How does lightning affect Arizona? Why do
photographers come to Arizona for lightning photographs? What is unique about Arizona
lightning? How is lightning detected in Arizona and around the world? This book tells you
answers to these questions. This book is intended for a broad audience comprised of visitors
interested lay public a variety of scientific disciplines media medicine lightning safety
and fire weather. It is suitable for readers desiring a general overview of lightning
especially in Arizona but also for those who want to know specifically about the topic.
