Why Do We Have Lightning

Lightning safety tips if you re outdoors.

Why do we have lightning.

Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions in the atmosphere or ground temporarily equalize themselves causing the instantaneous release of as much as one gigajoule of energy. How does lightning form. Have you ever got a static electricity shock. Read more about nssl s lightning research here.

What we see as a flash of lightning may actually be four different strokes in exactly the same place one right after another. This causes the air to explode outward. The huge pressure in the initial outward shock wave decreases. Or seen sparks when you take off your jumper.

To make this electric current first you need a cloud. Most lightning occurs within the clouds. Keep an eye at the sky. Click here to see if there are any active warnings in your area.

Lightning begins with a process that s less mysterious. Lightning is an electric current. Energy from a lightning channel heats the air briefly to around 50 000 degrees fahrenheit much hotter than the surface of the sun. To fully understand how the water cycle works we must first understand the principles of evaporation and condensation.

This discharge may produce a wide range of electromagnetic radiation from very hot plasma created by the rapid movement of electrons to brilliant flashes of. When the ground is hot it heats the air above it. When lightning is made the same thing happens but on a much bigger scale. Lightning is an electrical discharge caused by imbalances between storm clouds and the ground or within the clouds themselves.

That s why lightning appears to flicker.