Why Do We Have Lightning Storms

How fast the ice develops the depth of the icy portion of the storm and how quickly the precipitation moves within the cloud are important to the lightning process.

Why do we have lightning storms.

Lightning is one of the oldest observed natural phenomena on earth. It is estimated that a lightning strike hits somewhere on the earth s surface approximately 44 times every second a total of nearly 1 4 billion lightning strikes every year. Owing to the fact thunderstorms are created by intense heating of the earth s surface they are most common in areas of the globe where the weather is hot and humid. The cdc says that even at 100 feet away the electric current from lightning that runs on the.

There is still much research that needs to be done to fully understand this process. The temperature of the air in the lightning channel may reach as high as 50 000 degrees fahrenheit 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun. The ground s positive charge concentrates around anything that sticks up trees lightning conductors even people. Lightning is an electrical discharge caused by imbalances between storm clouds and the ground or within the clouds themselves.

Here are the best tips on what to do if stuck outdoors during a thunderstorm. Most thunderstorms last about 30 minutes and are typically about 15 miles 24 km in diameter. All thunderstorms have ice in the upper portions of the storm. Click here to see if there are any active warnings in your area.

Look for darkening skies flashes of. It can be seen in volcanic eruptions extremely intense forest fires surface nuclear detonations heavy snowstorms in large hurricanes and obviously thunderstorms. What we see as a flash of lightning may actually be four different strokes in exactly the same place one right after another. That s correct but one thing you should never do during thunderstorms is lie down on the ground.

The two biggest threats associated with most thunderstorms are lightning and flash floods. Most lightning happens inside a cloud but sometimes it happens between the cloud and the ground. To understand why thunderstorms occur more often during the warm months requires some understanding of thunderstorm basics. A build up of positive charge builds up on the ground beneath the cloud attracted to the negative charge in the bottom of the cloud.

Most lightning occurs within the clouds. Keep an eye at the sky. When lightning strikes finding the right shelter may not always be easy. That s why lightning appears to flicker.

Lightning safety tips if you re outdoors. Read more about nssl s lightning research here.