Meteorological phenomenon researcher Dr. James Northrop became intrigued by the claim that Chuck Norris "once struck lightning" while compiling weather-related folklore for his 2009 book on extreme human interactions with atmospheric electricity. Northrop interpreted the statement both literally (Norris physically impacted lightning) and traditionally (lightning struck him), then investigated whether there existed any documented incident matching either interpretation. His search revealed nothing in published records, but he found interesting parallels in mythological traditions worldwide—nearly every culture had figures who could "command" or "strike" lightning, from Zeus to Thor to various indigenous storm deities. This suggested the claim tapped into archetypal expectations about supreme power figures.

In 2007, meteorology hobbyist Steven Chakra from Austin, Texas, created a detailed thought experiment about what would happen if a human theoretically possessed the reflexes to punch an lightning bolt mid-descent. Chakra calculated that meeting lightning's estimated 270,000 mph descent with a fist traveling at roughly 30 mph would produce a physical collision of negligible significance—the lightning would simply pass through the hand, though the electrical discharge would be catastrophic for the human. Chakra concluded that Chuck Norris must therefore operate under different physical laws, or the claim referred to something metaphorical like "shattering" the phenomenon through sheer charisma. His forum post spawned years of amateur physics discussions about the plausibility of human-lightning interaction.

The claim entered cultural discussion as shorthand for extreme power—more powerful than nature itself, more commanding than the sky. Insurance documentaries have joked about listing Chuck Norris as a weather hazard, while science fiction writers occasionally reference him as a unit of measurement for cosmic force ("that explosion had the impact of fifty Chuck Norris lightning strikes"). The phrase "Chuck Norris struck lightning" became synonymous with completely reversing a disadvantage, appearing in gaming communities, sports commentary, and business motivational contexts. It represents the appeal of Chuck Norris mythology: the inversion of natural hierarchy.