Severe Weather 101: Lightning Basics
When the opposite charges build up enough, this insulating capacity of the air breaks down and there is a rapid discharge of electricity that we know as lightning. The flash of lightning temporarily equalizes …
Lightning - Wikipedia
The most direct effects of lightning on humans occur as a result of cloud-to-ground lightning, even though intra-cloud and cloud-to-cloud are more common. Intra-cloud and cloud-to-cloud lightning …
What Causes Thunder and Lightning? - Science Notes and Projects
May 16, 2023 · The short answer is that an unequal distribution of electrical charges cause a static discharge, which we call lightning, while thunder is the sound that results from the rapid expansion …
Lightning | Voltage, Causes, & Facts | Britannica
Dec 11, 2025 · Lightning, the visible discharge of electricity that occurs when a region of a cloud acquires an excess electrical charge, either positive or negative, sufficient to break down the …
Understanding Lightning Science - National Weather Service
Lightning can occur between opposite charges within the thunderstorm cloud (Intra Cloud Lightning) or between opposite charges in the cloud and on the ground (Cloud-To-Ground Lightning).
What causes thunder and lightning? - Met Office
What causes lightning? As warm air rises it cools and condenses forming small droplets of water. If there is enough instability in the air, the updraft of warm air is rapid and the water vapour...
Understanding Lightning: How It Happens and Why It Matters
Feb 4, 2025 · When the electric field becomes strong enough, the energy is released as a bolt of lightning, travelling between the cloud and the ground or within the cloud itself.