Earth Oddities → Strange Weather Phenomena → Atmospheric Electricity → Lightning
Lightning is a rapid atmospheric electrical discharge that occurs
when separated electrical charges create conductive channels through the air.
Most lightning remains inside thunderstorms, but some flashes reach the ground,
leap between clouds, spread horizontally across enormous storm systems or strike
far outside the heaviest rain.
A visible lightning bolt is not one simple spark. It can involve
charge separation, leaders, streamers, attachment, return strokes and
repeated electrical pulses unfolding in fractions of a second.
This guide explains how lightning forms, the main scientific and visual
types of lightning, positive and negative strikes, bolts from the blue, upward
lightning, anvil crawlers, dry lightning, megaflashes, superbolts, thunder,
detection systems, global lightning hotspots, lightning damage, wildfire
ignition, safety and some of the most extraordinary lightning records ever
measured.
Lightning is one branch of a much larger electrical system.
For atmospheric electric fields, thunderstorm electrification, Earth’s
global electric circuit, corona discharge, St. Elmo’s fire and Schumann
resonances, start with
Atmospheric Electricity Explained
.
leaders, cloud-to-ground strikes, positive lightning, dry lightning,
megaflashes and other extreme electrical discharges.
Lightning in 60 Seconds
-
Lightning is an electrical discharge produced when strong
electric fields develop between differently charged regions. -
Most lightning occurs inside clouds rather than striking
the ground. -
Thunderstorms become electrified through interactions among
ice crystals, graupel and supercooled water. -
A cloud-to-ground flash can involve a
leader, upward streamer, attachment and return stroke. -
Positive lightning is less common than ordinary negative
cloud-to-ground lightning and can originate far from the storm’s main rain core. -
Dry lightning can ignite vegetation when little useful
rain reaches the ground. -
One visible flash may contain multiple strokes, so lightning
absolutely can strike the same place repeatedly. -
Thunder is the acoustic pressure wave generated by the
rapid heating and expansion of air around a lightning channel. -
Rare megaflashes can propagate across enormous organized
thunderstorm systems. -
Ball lightning remains a separate and still incompletely
understood atmospheric phenomenon.
What Is Lightning?
Lightning is a rapid electrical discharge occurring within
the atmosphere, between clouds or between a cloud and Earth’s surface.
It develops after electrical charge becomes separated inside an electrified
cloud or other charged environment.
When the electrical conditions allow an ionized conducting path to develop,
charge can move rapidly through the atmosphere.
Simple Definition
Lightning is the atmospheric discharge of separated electrical charge
through an ionized channel.
Lightning Is Not Just Cloud-to-Ground
The spectacular bolt that hits the ground is only one form of lightning.
Electrical discharges can occur:
- inside one thunderstorm cloud,
- between separate cloud regions,
- between cloud and ground,
- from the ground upward,
- horizontally across large storm anvils.
Lightning vs Atmospheric Electricity
Lightning and atmospheric electricity are closely related but are not the same thing.
| Atmospheric Electricity | Lightning |
|---|---|
| Includes electric fields, ions, currents and charge separation | A rapid electrical discharge |
| Exists even during fair weather | Usually associated with strongly electrified clouds or plumes |
| Includes Earth’s global electric circuit | Transfers charge through an ionized channel |
| Includes corona discharge and other electrical effects | Produces an intense flash and usually thunder |
For the broader physics, see
Atmospheric Electricity Explained
.
How Does Lightning Form?
Lightning begins with charge separation inside an electrified storm.
Powerful thunderstorm updrafts carry droplets and ice particles through a
turbulent mixture containing:
- small ice crystals,
- graupel,
- supercooled liquid-water droplets,
- snow and other frozen particles.
Collisions among these particles transfer electrical charge.
Storm motions then separate differently charged particles into different
regions of the cloud.
As charge separation increases, the electric field between those regions
becomes stronger.
Eventually, ionized conducting paths can begin propagating through the air.
Ice-particle collisions
→ charge transfer
Updrafts + gravity
→ charged particles separate
Charge regions grow
→ electric field intensifies
Ionized channels develop
→ leaders propagate
Electrical connection forms
→ lightning discharge
Charge Separation Inside Thunderstorms
One of the key charging mechanisms occurs in the mixed-phase region of a
thunderstorm where liquid water and ice coexist.
Collisions among graupel and smaller ice crystals can leave the particles
with different electrical charges.
Strong updrafts preferentially carry smaller ice particles toward higher
parts of the storm, while larger graupel particles tend to remain lower or fall.
This produces spatially separated charge regions.
A Simplified Storm Charge Structure
Many thunderstorms develop:
- a broad positive charge region high in the cloud,
- a substantial negative charge region below it,
- sometimes a smaller positive charge pocket near the cloud base.
Real thunderstorms can contain much more complicated electrical structures,
especially large or long-lived storm systems.
charge inside a thunderstorm, allowing strong electric fields and lightning
channels to develop.
Lightning Leaders, Streamers & Attachment
Cloud-to-ground lightning does not begin as the brilliant bolt visible to
the human eye.
Before the main flash, an electrically conducting channel called a
leader develops through the air.
Stepped Leader
In a typical negative cloud-to-ground flash, a branching
stepped leader propagates downward from the cloud in a series
of rapid steps.
As it approaches the surface, the electric field around tall or conductive
objects intensifies.
Upward Streamers
Buildings, towers, trees and other objects can launch
upward streamers toward the approaching leader.
When a successful streamer connects with a descending leader, a continuous
conducting path forms between cloud and ground.
leader approaches, with one eventually forming the successful attachment.
The Return Stroke: The Bright Lightning Flash
Once attachment occurs, a powerful electrical pulse moves through the completed
channel.
This return stroke produces much of the brilliant light
associated with cloud-to-ground lightning.
The discharge rapidly heats the channel and surrounding air, creating the
pressure wave heard as thunder.
1. Charge separation
↓
2. Leader development
↓
3. Upward streamer
↓
4. Attachment
↓
5. Return stroke
separation, leader propagation, streamer formation, attachment and the
brilliant return stroke.
Why Lightning Appears to Strike the Same Place Repeatedly
One visible lightning flash can contain more than one electrical pulse.
After the first return stroke, the channel may remain electrically favorable
long enough for additional discharges to follow a similar path.
These repeated strokes create the familiar flickering or strobe-like appearance
of some lightning flashes.
Why Repeat Strikes Occur
-
Channel reuse:
subsequent strokes may follow an already established conductive path. -
Tall structures:
towers and skyscrapers repeatedly enhance local electric fields. -
Persistent storm charging:
thunderclouds continue reorganizing electrical charge after one discharge. -
Upward lightning:
some tall structures initiate repeated upward flashes during electrically
active storms.
Myth Destroyed
Lightning can absolutely strike the same place twice — and sometimes many
times during the same storm.
Types of Lightning
Lightning names can become confusing because some terms describe the
electrical path, others describe polarity,
and still others describe only visual appearance.
Scientific Lightning Categories
| Lightning Type | Discharge Path | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Intracloud (IC) | Within one cloud | Major component of total lightning activity |
| Cloud-to-cloud / intercloud | Between electrically active cloud regions | Can bridge separated storm areas |
| Cloud-to-ground (CG) | Cloud and Earth’s surface | Main direct lightning hazard to people and structures |
| Negative CG | Negative cloud charge to ground | Common cloud-to-ground polarity |
| Positive CG | Positive cloud charge to ground | Can involve long and powerful discharges |
| Upward lightning | Initiates upward from tall terrain or structures | Commonly associated with very tall objects |
Intracloud Lightning
Intracloud lightning occurs between differently charged regions
within the same thunderstorm cloud.
Because much of the discharge is hidden inside the cloud, observers often see
the surrounding cloud illuminate rather than a clearly defined external bolt.
This diffuse illumination is frequently described as
sheet lightning, although sheet lightning is an observational
appearance rather than a separate electrical category.
Cloud-to-Cloud Lightning
Electrical discharges can also extend between separated cloud regions or
neighboring storm cells.
These flashes may appear as long horizontal channels crossing otherwise dark sky.
In large storm complexes, lightning can propagate through connected charge
regions across surprisingly large distances.
Cloud-to-Ground Lightning
Cloud-to-ground lightning electrically connects an
electrified cloud with Earth’s surface.
It represents the form most important for:
- human lightning injuries,
- building strikes,
- tree damage,
- power-grid failures,
- wildfire ignition,
- ground-current hazards.
Cloud-to-ground lightning can have either negative or positive polarity.
Positive vs Negative Lightning
Most ordinary cloud-to-ground flashes transfer negative charge toward the surface
and are described as negative cloud-to-ground lightning.
Positive cloud-to-ground lightning transfers positive charge
from an electrified region of the storm toward the ground.
Positive flashes can originate from upper or horizontally displaced charge
regions and may develop outside the storm’s main rain core.
Why Positive Lightning Gets Attention
- some positive flashes involve unusually strong currents,
- their channels can extend far from the storm core,
- they may occur where people do not realize lightning remains possible,
- they are important in some extreme lightning and upper-atmosphere events.
What Is a Bolt From the Blue?
A bolt from the blue is lightning that emerges from a
thunderstorm and travels horizontally before reaching the ground away from
the main precipitation area.
The phrase does not mean lightning formed in completely clear weather.
The discharge remains connected to an electrified storm.
Why It Is Dangerous
Blue sky overhead does not guarantee safety if a thunderstorm is close enough
to produce lightning.
Upward Lightning
Lightning does not always travel downward from clouds.
Upward lightning can initiate from:
- skyscrapers,
- communications towers,
- wind turbines,
- mountain peaks,
- other exceptionally tall or exposed structures.
Strong atmospheric electric fields can trigger an upward leader that propagates
toward charged regions overhead.
how lightning channels can propagate from elevated terrain toward charged
storm regions.
Forked, Sheet, Ribbon, Bead, Staccato & Heat Lightning
Many familiar lightning names describe how a flash looks rather than
representing a fundamentally different discharge mechanism.
Forked Lightning
Forked lightning displays multiple branching channels, especially in
cloud-to-ground flashes.
Sheet Lightning
Sheet lightning is diffuse illumination produced when lightning inside or
behind a cloud lights a broad area without exposing the complete channel.
Ribbon Lightning
Ribbon lightning can appear when successive strokes are displaced by strong
winds, creating several adjacent luminous channels.
Bead Lightning
A decaying lightning channel may appear to break into bright luminous segments,
producing the visual impression of beads.
Staccato Lightning
Staccato lightning describes a short, sharp and often highly branched flash
with a particularly abrupt appearance.
Heat Lightning
Heat lightning is not a special kind of lightning.
It is ordinary distant lightning whose flash can be seen while its thunder is
too distant or too weak to be heard clearly.
electrical classifications.
Spider Lightning & Anvil Crawlers
Spider lightning, often called
anvil crawler lightning, consists of sprawling horizontal
lightning channels moving through charged regions near the underside or interior
of a storm’s anvil.
From the ground, the discharge can appear to crawl across enormous sections
of the sky like an electrical web.
These flashes can become particularly spectacular within large organized
thunderstorm systems containing horizontally extensive charge regions.
horizontally extensive charge regions and illuminate large portions of a storm.
Dry Lightning: When Thunderstorms Start Wildfires
Dry lightning refers to lightning occurring when little or
insufficient rainfall reaches the ground to meaningfully wet combustible vegetation.
This can happen when storms have high cloud bases and precipitation evaporates
substantially while falling through dry air.
In drought-stressed forests, grasslands and shrublands, a lightning strike can
ignite fuels without a soaking rainfall to suppress the fire.
Why Dry Lightning Is Dangerous
- lightning can ignite remote terrain far from roads,
- some ignitions can smolder before becoming obvious,
- one thunderstorm outbreak can produce many separate ignitions,
- gusty thunderstorm outflows may accompany the lightning,
- dry fuels can allow fires to establish quickly.
vegetation while precipitation evaporates before significantly wetting the surface.
Fire Weather Explained
Explore drought, extreme heat, low humidity, wind, dry thunderstorms
and other weather conditions that influence wildfire danger.
Wildfires Explained
Explore wildfire ignition, fuels, spread, extreme fire behavior and impacts.
Thunder: Why Lightning Makes Sound
Thunder is the sound generated by lightning.
The lightning channel rapidly heats surrounding air, producing extremely
fast expansion and an acoustic pressure wave.
Why Thunder Can Crack, Boom or Rumble
-
Sharp crack:
often associated with nearby sections of a lightning channel. -
Explosive boom:
a close strike can produce an abrupt and powerful pressure wave. -
Long rumble:
sound from different portions of a long channel arrives at different times. -
Rolling thunder:
terrain, atmospheric refraction and reflections can extend the sound.
Estimating Lightning Distance
Because light reaches the observer essentially immediately compared with sound,
the delay between the flash and thunder provides a rough distance estimate.
Rough guide:
about 5 seconds ≈ 1 mile,
or roughly
3 seconds ≈ 1 kilometer.
Thunder is covered more broadly as part of the electrical storm system in
Atmospheric Electricity Explained
.
Extreme Lightning: Megaflashes & Superbolts
Some lightning events operate on scales far beyond the familiar isolated
cloud-to-ground bolt.
Megaflashes
Megaflashes are exceptionally extensive lightning flashes
propagating through large electrified storm systems.
Satellite-era lightning mapping revealed that a single flash can extend
hundreds of kilometers through interconnected cloud charge regions.
These events changed the perception that lightning must remain close to a
single compact storm cell.
Superbolts
Superbolts describe unusually energetic lightning flashes
occupying the extreme end of the lightning-energy distribution.
They are not simply visually impressive bolts; researchers identify them
through exceptionally strong optical, radio or energetic signatures.
Megaflash vs Superbolt
A megaflash is defined primarily by extraordinary spatial
extent, while a superbolt refers to exceptionally energetic lightning.
Where Is Lightning Most Common?
Lightning is not distributed evenly across Earth.
Frequent lightning generally requires environments favorable for deep,
electrified convection.
Lightning-Favorable Environments
- warm tropical land regions,
- humid continental interiors,
- mountainous terrain,
- sea-breeze convergence zones,
- warm-season mid-latitudes,
- regions where repeated afternoon thunderstorms develop.
Lightning is generally much more concentrated over tropical and subtropical
land than over many ocean regions because continents heat strongly and can
support powerful convection.
associated with favorable tropical and continental thunderstorm environments.
Catatumbo Lightning: One of Earth’s Great Lightning Hotspots
The Catatumbo Lightning region around the Lake Maracaibo basin
in Venezuela is famous for extraordinarily frequent nocturnal thunderstorms.
Its persistence results from a favorable combination of:
- abundant tropical moisture,
- warm lake and lowland air,
- surrounding mountain topography,
- repeating nighttime circulation patterns,
- strong convective instability.
Catatumbo demonstrates an important principle:
lightning hotspots are created by recurring meteorological and geographic
conditions, not mysterious electrical anomalies.
How Do Scientists Detect Lightning?
Modern lightning science uses instruments rather than relying only on visual
observations.
Ground-Based Lightning Networks
Networks of radio-frequency sensors detect electromagnetic signals generated
by lightning and use multiple observations to estimate the location and
characteristics of a discharge.
Total Lightning Mapping
Some systems detect both cloud-to-ground and intracloud electrical activity,
providing a more complete picture of thunderstorm electrification.
Satellite Lightning Mapping
Instruments aboard geostationary satellites detect optical lightning signals
over enormous regions.
Satellite observations have been especially important for identifying
exceptionally large flashes extending across mesoscale storm systems.
radio-frequency networks to map electrical activity across thunderstorms.
Lightning Flashes vs Strokes vs Events
Lightning statistics can look contradictory because different instruments
do not always count the same thing.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Lightning flash | The complete lightning discharge episode |
| Stroke | An individual current pulse within some cloud-to-ground flashes |
| Lightning event / group | Instrument-specific optical or radio detections used to build a flash |
This distinction matters when comparing lightning counts from satellites,
ground networks and media reports.
Lightning Damage, Injuries & Environmental Impacts
Lightning can transfer enormous electrical energy through air, soil,
vegetation, buildings, wiring and water.
Main Lightning Hazards
- direct strike,
- ground current,
- side flash,
- conducted current through wiring or plumbing,
- electrical surges,
- tree damage,
- structure fires,
- wildfire ignition,
- power-grid and telecommunications damage.
including direct strikes, ground currents, side flashes, surges and fire ignition.
Ground Current, Side Flash & Step Potential
Ground Current
When lightning enters the ground, current can spread outward through soil,
rock and surface water.
A person or animal does not need to be directly struck to be injured.
Side Flash
Electrical current can jump from a struck object to another nearby conductive
object or person.
Step Potential
Voltage can differ between two nearby points on the ground.
A body spanning those points can provide a path for electrical current.
This helps explain why groups of livestock or wildlife can suffer multiple
casualties from one nearby lightning strike.
Why Can Lightning Explode a Tree?
Trees contain water in their tissues and sap-conducting structures.
A powerful lightning current can heat moisture extremely rapidly.
Sudden expansion and steam generation can create intense internal pressure.
Possible results include:
- stripped bark,
- long trunk fractures,
- splintered wood,
- branch failure,
- fire,
- complete mechanical rupture in severe cases.
Lightning Records & Benchmark Events
Modern satellite observations have radically expanded what scientists can
measure about extreme lightning.
| Benchmark | Event | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Longest documented lightning flash distance | 829 km U.S. Great Plains megaflash, October 22, 2017 | Shows one flash can propagate across a vast storm complex |
| Longest documented lightning flash duration | 17.102 seconds over Uruguay and northern Argentina, June 18, 2020 | Shows a single flash can remain active far longer than a typical visible bolt |
| Persistent hotspot | Catatumbo / Lake Maracaibo region | Demonstrates repeated lightning favored by geography and storm climatology |
| Major animal ground-current case | Hardangervidda reindeer deaths, Norway, 2016 | Illustrates how lightning current can affect many animals near one strike |
829 km Great Plains Megaflash
A flash that occurred across the U.S. Great Plains on October 22, 2017 was
later measured at approximately 829 km (515 miles) and
officially recognized as a lightning-distance record.
The event demonstrates how lightning can propagate through huge connected
charge regions inside organized thunderstorm complexes.
17.102-Second South American Flash
A lightning flash over Uruguay and northern Argentina on June 18, 2020
persisted for approximately 17.102 seconds.
These satellite-era records make one lesson especially clear:
lightning is a storm-system phenomenon, not merely an isolated bolt
beneath one cloud tower.
Ball Lightning
Ball lightning refers to rare reports of luminous,
approximately spherical objects appearing during or near thunderstorms and
persisting much longer than an ordinary lightning flash.
Reported behavior varies considerably, and its physical mechanism remains
incompletely resolved.
Because ball lightning has its own observations, hypotheses, historical cases
and scientific controversies, it should remain a dedicated child pillar rather
than being reproduced in full here.
Explore the Complete Ball Lightning Guide
Volcanic Lightning
Lightning does not require an ordinary meteorological thunderstorm.
Volcanic eruption plumes can become strongly electrified as ash and other
particles fragment, collide and separate charge.
In sufficiently electrified plumes, spectacular lightning can develop around
the eruption column.
Sprites, Blue Jets, Gigantic Jets & ELVES
Powerful thunderstorms can produce electrical effects far above the altitude
of ordinary lightning.
These transient luminous events include:
- sprites,
- blue jets,
- gigantic jets,
- ELVES.
They are closely connected to thunderstorm electricity but occur in atmospheric
regions very different from normal lightning channels.
Explore Lightning Above Thunderstorms
Lightning Myths & Misconceptions
Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
False. Tall structures and favorable attachment points can be struck
repeatedly, and one lightning flash can itself contain multiple strokes.
If it is not raining, lightning cannot strike me.
False. Lightning can extend well outside the main rain core of a thunderstorm.
Rubber tires are what make a car safe from lightning.
Misleading. The protective effect of a fully enclosed metal-topped vehicle
primarily comes from the conductive exterior carrying electrical current
around the occupants rather than from the rubber tires.
Heat lightning is a separate type of lightning.
False. Heat lightning is ordinary distant lightning whose thunder cannot
be heard clearly from the observer’s location.
Every glowing orb filmed during a storm is ball lightning.
False. Reflections, insects, electrical equipment, camera artifacts,
distant lights and ordinary lightning effects can all produce misleading
luminous objects in video.
Lightning Safety
Lightning does not need to be directly overhead to be dangerous.
Audible thunder means an active thunderstorm is close enough to require caution.
When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors
Move into a substantial enclosed building or an enclosed hard-topped vehicle
when thunder is heard.
Outdoors
- leave open fields and exposed ridges,
- do not shelter beneath an isolated tree,
- leave lakes, pools and other bodies of water,
- avoid exposed conductive objects and fences,
- do not rely on tents, open shelters or pavilions for lightning protection.
Indoors
- avoid corded electrical equipment,
- avoid plumbing during nearby thunderstorms,
- stay away from windows and exterior doors,
- avoid direct contact with conductive concrete surfaces when possible.
When Is It Safe to Go Back Outside?
Continue sheltering for at least
30 minutes after the last audible thunder.
A person struck by lightning does not retain an electrical
charge and can be touched safely while emergency assistance is provided.
FAQ: Lightning
What is lightning?
Lightning is a rapid atmospheric electrical discharge produced when
separated electrical charges create a conductive ionized path through the air.
What causes lightning?
Thunderstorms separate electrical charge through interactions among ice
crystals, graupel, supercooled water and storm motions. Lightning develops
when electrical conditions allow conductive channels to propagate between
charged regions.
How does a lightning bolt form?
A cloud-to-ground flash can develop through charge separation, leader
propagation, upward streamer formation, attachment and a bright return stroke.
What is a stepped leader?
A stepped leader is a branching conductive channel that propagates through
the atmosphere in rapid discrete steps before a cloud-to-ground lightning
connection is completed.
What is a lightning streamer?
A streamer is an ionized channel that can grow in a strong electric field.
Upward streamers may rise from objects on the ground toward an approaching
lightning leader.
What is a return stroke?
The return stroke is the powerful electrical pulse traveling through the
completed lightning channel after attachment and producing much of the
brilliant visible flash.
What are the main types of lightning?
Major scientific categories include intracloud, cloud-to-cloud,
cloud-to-ground, positive and negative cloud-to-ground, and upward lightning.
What is the most common type of lightning?
A large fraction of lightning activity occurs inside clouds rather than
reaching the ground.
What is cloud-to-ground lightning?
Cloud-to-ground lightning is an electrical discharge connecting an
electrified cloud with Earth’s surface.
What is positive lightning?
Positive cloud-to-ground lightning transfers positive charge from a
storm charge region toward the ground and may originate far from the main
precipitation core.
What is negative lightning?
Negative cloud-to-ground lightning transfers negative charge from the
storm toward the ground and represents a common polarity of ground-reaching lightning.
What is a bolt from the blue?
A bolt from the blue is lightning that travels outward from a thunderstorm
before striking the ground outside the storm’s main rain area.
What is upward lightning?
Upward lightning begins from tall structures, mountains or other elevated
objects and propagates upward toward charged regions of a storm.
What is spider lightning?
Spider lightning, or anvil crawler lightning, consists of long branching
channels spreading horizontally through charged portions of a thunderstorm anvil.
What is sheet lightning?
Sheet lightning is the diffuse illumination of clouds by lightning whose
complete channel is hidden from the observer.
What is heat lightning?
Heat lightning is ordinary distant lightning seen when the associated
thunder is too far away or too weak to be heard clearly.
What is dry lightning?
Dry lightning occurs when lightning is produced but little useful rainfall
reaches the surface, creating an important wildfire-ignition hazard in dry landscapes.
Why does lightning start wildfires?
Lightning can heat or ignite vegetation and woody material. When fuels are
very dry, some ignitions can persist and develop into wildfires.
What causes thunder?
Thunder is produced when lightning rapidly heats the surrounding air,
causing intense expansion and an acoustic pressure wave.
Why does thunder rumble?
Sound from different sections of a long lightning channel reaches an observer
at different times, while terrain and atmospheric conditions can further
spread and reflect the sound.
How far away is lightning if thunder comes five seconds later?
A five-second flash-to-thunder delay corresponds roughly to about one mile
or approximately 1.6 kilometers.
Can lightning strike the same place twice?
Yes. Tall structures can be struck repeatedly, and individual lightning
flashes may contain multiple strokes along similar channels.
What is a lightning megaflash?
A megaflash is an exceptionally extensive lightning flash propagating
through electrically connected regions of a large thunderstorm complex.
What is a superbolt?
A superbolt is an exceptionally energetic lightning flash identified near
the extreme end of lightning’s optical, electromagnetic or energy distribution.
What is the longest lightning flash ever measured?
A U.S. Great Plains megaflash that occurred on October 22, 2017 was measured
at approximately 829 kilometers, or 515 miles.
What is the longest-lasting lightning flash?
A lightning flash over Uruguay and northern Argentina on June 18, 2020
lasted approximately 17.102 seconds.
Where is lightning especially frequent?
Lightning is particularly frequent over tropical and subtropical land regions
with abundant moisture, strong convection and recurring thunderstorms.
What is Catatumbo Lightning?
Catatumbo Lightning refers to the exceptionally frequent thunderstorm and
lightning activity around the Lake Maracaibo basin in Venezuela.
How is lightning detected?
Lightning is detected using ground-based radio-frequency networks,
total-lightning mapping systems and optical sensors aboard satellites.
What is the difference between a lightning flash and stroke?
A flash is the complete lightning discharge episode, while a stroke is an
individual current pulse that may occur as part of some cloud-to-ground flashes.
What is ground current from lightning?
Ground current occurs when electrical current from a lightning strike spreads
outward through the surface and can affect nearby people, animals or infrastructure.
Why can lightning explode trees?
Lightning can rapidly heat moisture inside a tree, producing sudden expansion,
steam generation and mechanical damage capable of stripping bark or splitting wood.
Is ball lightning a type of ordinary lightning?
Ball lightning is associated with thunderstorms and atmospheric electricity,
but its reported long-lived spherical appearance differs greatly from ordinary
lightning channels and its mechanism remains unresolved.
Are sprites a type of lightning?
Sprites are transient luminous electrical events high above thunderstorms.
They are related to powerful lightning below but occur in a different
atmospheric region from ordinary lightning channels.
Can lightning occur in volcanic eruptions?
Yes. Volcanic plumes can separate electrical charge through particle
fragmentation, collision and other charging processes, producing volcanic lightning.
Can lightning strike when the sky above me is clear?
Yes. Lightning channels can extend outward from thunderstorms and strike
outside the main rain core.
Is a car safe during lightning?
A fully enclosed hard-topped vehicle provides substantially better protection
than remaining outdoors. Its protective effect comes mainly from its conductive
exterior rather than its rubber tires.
How long should I stay indoors after thunder?
Remain in safe shelter for at least 30 minutes after the last audible thunder.
Lightning Is a Storm’s Electrical Network Made Visible
A lightning flash begins long before the sky lights up.
Ice particles collide. Charge separates. Electric fields strengthen.
Leaders explore the atmosphere. Streamers rise from the ground.
Conducting paths connect.
Then, in a fraction of a second, electrical charge races through an ionized
channel and the atmosphere suddenly becomes brilliant.
Some lightning remains buried inside clouds. Some strikes the ground.
Some crawls across anvils. Some begins from skyscrapers or mountain peaks.
Dry lightning can ignite forests, positive lightning can reach beyond the
rain core, and megaflashes can propagate across vast storm systems.
The visible bolt is therefore only the final expression of a much larger
electrical machine operating inside the storm.
Continue to
Atmospheric Electricity Explained
to understand the planetary electrical system behind lightning, or explore
Ball Lightning Explained
for one of atmospheric physics’ strangest unresolved phenomena.
