Severe Weather Community | The Weather's Fury

 Lightning: It's the key to a thunderstorm

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word thunderstorm? For many people, it's lightning. Lightning is what makes a thunderstorm a thunderstorm. Without lighting, it's just a rainshower. But with lightning, the rainshower is classified 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. An average lighning bolt has enough energy to power a small town for months! But instead of giving towns power, it can sometimes take it away.

How Does Lightining form?

Imagine you're in your home, and you reach for a doorknob. As your hand nears the knob, negitive (-) charge in your hand jumps toward positive (+) charge 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.

How can I keep safe?

Read the article about Lightning safety in our Weather Safety section!