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 Lightning: It's the key to a thunderstorm

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word thunderstorm? Probably thunder or lightning. Lightning is what makes a thunderstorm a thunderstorm. If there's no lightning, it's just a rainshower. But with lightning, the rainshower is considered as a thunderstorm.

What is Lightning? 

 So what exactly is lightning?  Lightning is basically a large spark. The lightning spark goes from point A, the cloud, to point B, either the ground, another cloud, or charged air particles. Unlike a spark, however, lightning contains an extraordinary amount of energy; Just one lightning bolt has enough energy to power a small town for months! .

How Does Lightining form?

Imagine you're in your home, and you reach for a doorknob. As your hand nears the knob, the negitive (-) charges in your hand jumps toward the positive (+) charges on the doorknob. A spark is created, and you are usually left with a sting. The same is true for lightning. As water droplets in a cloud rub together, they produce a negitive (-) charge. If the charge is strong enough, it leaps toward a positive (+) charge somewhere else. This positive charge can be another cloud, the ground, or even air! As the different charges meet, a huge spark is produced, resulting in the lightning bolt.