How does thunder and lightning work?
Lightning is a discharge of electricity. A single stroke of lightning can heat the air around it to 30,000°C (54,000°F)! This extreme heating causes the air to expand explosively fast. The expansion creates a shock wave that turns into a booming sound wave, known as thunder.
What causes thunder lightning?
Answer. Thunder is caused by the rapid expansion of the air surrounding the path of a lightning bolt. As lightning connects to the ground from the clouds, a second stroke of lightning will return from the ground to the clouds, following the same channel as the first strike.
Is there ever thunder without lightning?
No, it is not possible to have thunder without lightning. Thunder starts as a shockwave from the explosively expanding lightning channel when a large current causes rapid heating. However, it is possible that you might see lightning and not hear the thunder because it was too far away. Thunder is caused by lightning.
What does it mean when thunder is really loud?
If the thunder sounds more like a rumble, the lightning was at least several miles away. The loud boom that you sometimes hear is created by the main lightning channel as it reaches the ground. Remember, if you can hear thunder, chances are that you’re within striking distance of the storm.
What creates lightning?
Lightning is an electrical discharge caused by imbalances between storm clouds and the ground, or within the clouds themselves. Most lightning occurs within the clouds. This heat causes surrounding air to rapidly expand and vibrate, which creates the pealing thunder we hear a short time after seeing a lightning flash.
What are 3 facts about lightning?
33 Insane Facts About Lightning Strikes
- Lightning creates heat hotter than the sun.
- Technically, lighting itself doesn’t have a temperature.
- Lightning can strike the same place twice—or more!
- Lightning also strikes multiple places at once.
- Lightning bolts are not very wide.
- Lighting can be up to 90 miles long.
What’s the difference between lightning and lightening?
Lightening is the present participle of the verb lighten. Lightning is the electrical discharge that happens during storms.
What is difference between thunder and lightning?
Thunder is the rumbling sound that is heard during thunderstorms. Lightning is an electrical energy while thunder is a sound energy. 2. Both occur at the same time during a thunderstorm, but since light travels faster than sound, lightning is seen first before one can hear the sound of thunder.
Can thunder hurt you?
Thunder can’t hurt us, of course, but lightning strikes can be deadly. Lightning deaths average about 50-55 per year in the U.S., based on a 30-year average calculated by NOAA. Still, lightning strikes are deadly, which is why you should go indoors when you hear thunder.
What attracts lightning to a person?
Myth: Structures with metal, or metal on the body (jewelry, cell phones,Mp3 players, watches, etc), attract lightning. Fact: Height, pointy shape, and isolation are the dominant factors controlling where a lightning bolt will strike. The presence of metal makes absolutely no difference on where lightning strikes.
What causes lightning and Thunder?
As early as 1752, Benjamin Franklin discovered that lightning was caused by powerful electrical discharges in the clouds. Thunderstorms are caused by small electrically-charged particles.
Did Zeus cause thunder and lightning?
Thunder and lightning are natural phenomena and have nothing at all to do with Zeus, as the ancient Greeks thought. As early as 1752, Benjamin Franklin discovered that lightning was caused by powerful electrical discharges in the clouds.
What are 5 interesting facts about lightning?
Lightning is a gigantic electrical spark. A spark that can be 5 miles (8 kilometers) long. It would take up to 80 million car batteries to equal the power of one thunderbolt. A single lightning flash has enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for three months! Light travels faster than sound.
When do thunderstorms occur?
For the most part, thunderstorms occur during the warmer seasons. We’ve all experienced a slight feeling of unease at an approaching storm, yet at the same time we’re fascinated by one of nature’s most impressive displays. Thunder and lightning are natural phenomena and have nothing at all to do with Zeus, as the ancient Greeks thought.