Americans are no strangers to mega lottery jackpots that have everyone from time to time scouring their pockets for a dollar or two to play and try to become the next millionaire.
When it comes down to the chance of actually winning the lottery, the news is a little more sobering. In fact, the odds are so staggering of actually winning the entire kit and caboodle that it’s more likely you’ll be impacted by a natural disaster than actually win the jackpot.
Both of America’s most popular lottery games put the odds of winning the top prize somewhere north of 1 out of 292 million.
To be precise, Powerball lists the odds of matching all six of their numbers at 1 in 292,201,338, and Mega Millions has the odds listed as 1 in 302,575,350.
When comparing the odds to what Earth and mother nature can throw our way, the odds aren’t even in the same ballpark.
Cold weather death odds: 1 in 6,045 during a lifetime
The National Safety Council puts the odds of dying from cold temperatures at 1 in 6,045 during one’s entire lifetime. Researchers say the combination of wind and low temperatures helps contribute to winter cold spells being more deadly than summer heatwaves.
Hot weather death odds: 1 in 8,248 during a lifetime
The National Safety Council puts the odds of dying from heatstroke during warm weather at 1 in 8,248 during one’s entire lifetime. A survey by the National Center for Health Statistics found that around twice as many people die from cold winter outbreaks than summer heat.
Lightning strike odds: 1 in 15,300 during a lifetime
The National Weather Service estimates the odds of a person being struck by lightning during their lifespan at 1 in 15,300. The chances greatly diminish if you’re looking for the odds of being struck in any given year. The NWS puts those odds at 1 out of 1,222,000.
Deadly tornado odds: 1 in 71,163 during a lifetime
DiscoverTheOdds.com lists the chance of being caught in a deadly tornado as 1 in 5,693,092 per year or 1 in 71,163 during one’s lifetime. NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center reports the U.S. sees on average around 1,100 tornadoes a year, which breaks down to about three tornadoes a day.
Earthquake death odds: 1 in 131,890 during a lifetime
Live Science calculated the chance of dying in an earthquake from United States Geological Survey data and came up with the odds of 1 in 131,890. The National Earthquake Information Center reports there are about 20,000 earthquakes around the globe each year, which breaks down to around 54 a day.