Trystan Casey
Lightning is a natural phenomenon that occurs when there is an electrostatic discharge of electricity between two electrically charged regions, at least one of which is in the atmosphere. This discharge can occur between clouds, between the air and clouds, or between clouds and the ground. The latter, known as cloud-to-ground lightning, is the least common type but is the best understood and poses the greatest threat to life and property. It is characterised by a stepped leader, which is the initial lightning stroke that forms and propagates downward, and a return stroke, which travels back to the cloud. This process repeats in rapid succession, resulting in a cascade of electrical discharges that we observe as lightning.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | A giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere between clouds, the air, or the ground |
| Cause | An imbalance of charges between a region of the cloud and another surface |
| Temperature | The air around the lightning flash rapidly heats to temperatures of about 30,000 °C (54,000 °F) |
| Sound | Lightning causes thunder, a sound from the shock wave which develops as heated gases in the vicinity of the discharge experience a sudden increase in pressure |
| Types | Intra-cloud lightning, Inter-cloud lightning, Cloud-to-ground lightning, Positive lightning, Negative lightning |
| Occurrence | Lightning strikes the earth more than 8 million times per day |
| Risk | The risk of being struck by lightning is low but the consequences of lightning strike injuries are serious |
| Deaths | During 2003–2012, lightning caused an average of 35 deaths per year in the United States |
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What You'll Learn
Lightning is a natural phenomenon
Lightning is typically associated with cumulonimbus clouds (thunderclouds) but can also occur in stratiform clouds, snowstorms, dust storms, and volcanic eruptions. It can manifest in various forms, including intra-cloud, inter-cloud, and cloud-to-ground lightning. Intra-cloud lightning occurs within a single cloud, while inter-cloud lightning happens between two separate clouds. The least common type is cloud-to-ground lightning, where lightning discharges between a cloud and the ground, posing the greatest threat to people and structures.
The process of lightning begins with the development of charged regions within a cloud. In the early stages, air acts as an insulator between the positive and negative charges. As these charges build up, the insulating capacity of the air breaks down, leading to a rapid discharge of electricity. This discharge creates a channel of partially ionized air, with neutral atoms and molecules becoming electrically charged. The lightning strike temporarily equalizes the charged regions, and the cycle repeats as the charges build up again.
The energy released during a lightning strike is immense, heating the surrounding air to temperatures exceeding 18,000°F and up to 60,000°F, causing the air to explode outward and creating a shock wave that we perceive as thunder. The pressure from this shock wave results in the sound of thunder, which can be heard up to 25 miles away.
Lightning is a well-known natural phenomenon, but it still holds mysteries for scientists, particularly regarding the exact mechanisms of how clouds build up electrical charges and how lightning forms.
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It is a giant spark of electricity
Lightning is a giant spark of electricity. It is a natural phenomenon that occurs when there is an electrostatic discharge between two electrically charged regions. One of these regions is always within the atmosphere, while the other can sometimes be found on the ground.
Lightning is typically associated with cumulonimbus clouds (thunderclouds) but can also occur in stratiform clouds (layered clouds with a large horizontal extent), in snowstorms and dust storms, and sometimes in the dust and gases emitted by erupting volcanoes. It can also be triggered by thermonuclear explosions, which create a very turbulent localised atmosphere and highly charged regions in the surrounding air.
In the early stages of lightning development, air acts as an insulator between the positive and negative charges in the cloud and between the cloud and the ground. When the opposite charges build up enough, the insulating capacity of the air breaks down, and there is a rapid discharge of electricity—lightning. This flash of lightning temporarily equalizes the charged regions in the atmosphere until the opposite charges build up again.
The energy from a lightning channel heats the air to around 30,000–60,000°C, causing the air to explode outward. This explosion creates a shock wave that we perceive as thunder. The huge pressure in the initial outward shock wave decreases rapidly with increasing distance, and within about ten yards, it becomes small enough to be perceived as sound.
Lightning strikes the earth more than 8 million times per day. While the risk of being struck is low, the consequences can be serious. During 2003–2012, lightning caused an average of 35 deaths per year in the United States.
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It occurs between clouds, the air, or the ground
Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere between clouds, the air, or the ground. It occurs when there is an imbalance of charges between a region of the cloud and another surface. This can be between two separate clouds, known as cloud-to-cloud or inter-cloud lightning, or between areas of differing electric potential within a single cloud, known as intra-cloud or cloud-to-air lightning. Intra-cloud lightning is the most frequent type, occurring when there is an excess electrical charge within the cloud. This can be either positive or negative and is sufficient to break down the resistance of the air.
Cloud-to-ground lightning occurs when there is a preliminary breakdown within the cloud, typically between the centre and the ground. This type of lightning poses the greatest threat to people and facilities on the ground. It is initiated when a channel develops downward toward the surface, and when it gets close enough, objects like trees and buildings start sending up sparks to meet it. When one of these sparks connects with the downward-travelling channel, a huge electric current surges rapidly down the channel to the object that produced the spark.
The lightning discharge is composed of several processes, including preliminary breakdown, stepped leaders, connecting leaders, return strokes, dart leaders, and subsequent return strokes. The polarity of the lightning discharge affects how it spreads and branches in space and time. The overall discharge is termed a flash, which contains a very bright main channel and secondary branches.
About one-third of lightning flashes travel from the cloud to the ground, and most of these originate in negatively charged regions of the cloud. Positively charged bolts are considerably rarer and more powerful, often striking miles beyond the thunderstorm. Cloud-to-ground lightning can be identified by their distinct lack of branching near the ground, and the thunder from such lightning is very loud and may sound like a series of deep, low-frequency sonic booms.
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Lightning is caused by an imbalance of charges
Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere between clouds, the air, or the ground. It is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. Lightning is caused by an imbalance of charges, which creates a rapid discharge of electricity.
Lightning occurs when a region of a cloud acquires an excess electrical charge, either positive or negative, that is sufficient to break down the resistance of the air. This happens when the opposite charges build up enough, and the insulating capacity of the air breaks down. The flash of lightning temporarily equalizes the charged regions in the atmosphere until the opposite charges build up again. The polarity of lightning discharge affects how it spreads and branches in space and time.
Most lightning flashes produced by storms start inside the cloud. If a lightning flash is going to strike the ground, a channel develops downward toward the surface. When it gets less than roughly a hundred yards of the ground, objects like trees and bushes and buildings start sending up sparks to meet it. When one of the sparks connects the downward-developing channel, a huge electric current surges rapidly down the channel to the object that produced the spark.
The most common source of lightning is the electric charge separated in ordinary thunderstorm clouds. Well over half of all lightning discharges occur within the thunderstorm cloud and are called intracloud discharges. Lightning can occur within a cloud as intracloud lightning, between clouds as intercloud lightning, or between the cloud and the earth as cloud-to-ground lightning. Cloud-to-ground lightning occurs when there is an imbalance of charges between a region of the cloud and another surface, usually the ground.
Scientists think that the initial process for creating charge regions in thunderstorms involves small hail particles called graupel. When these graupel particles collide and bounce off smaller ice particles, the graupel gains one sign of charge, and the smaller ice particle gains the other sign of charge. Because the smaller ice particles rise faster in updrafts than the graupel particles, the charge on the ice particles separates from the charge on graupel particles, and the charge on ice particles collects above the charge on graupel.
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It can cause thunder and forest fires
Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. It is a visible electrical discharge from a cloud when there is an imbalance of charges between a region of the cloud and another surface. This imbalance of charges results in a lightning strike, which can cause thunder and forest fires.
Lightning is usually associated with cumulonimbus clouds (thunderclouds) but can also occur in stratiform clouds (layered clouds with a large horizontal extent), in snowstorms and dust storms, and sometimes in the dust and gases emitted by erupting volcanoes. During a thunderstorm, lightning can occur within the cloud, between clouds, between the cloud and the air, or between the cloud and the ground. The latter is known as cloud-to-ground lightning and is the least common, but best understood of all types of lightning. It poses the greatest threat to life and property as it terminates on the ground or "strikes".
The lightning strike produces a very bright return stroke that propagates back to the cloud at a speed of about one-third the speed of light. The air around the lightning flash rapidly heats up to temperatures of about 30,000 °C (54,000 °F). This sudden increase in pressure causes a shock wave, which develops into thunder. The shock wave propagates in all directions away from the lightning stroke, and what we hear as thunder is an accumulation of multiple sound waves from the different portions of the lightning channel.
Lightning strikes can cause forest fires by igniting dry vegetation. The lightning current that reaches a potential fuel should heat the fuel to its ignition temperature before it can ignite. The ignition of the fuel depends on the lightning flash intensity and the duration of the continuous current. The long-continuing current in the lightning wave is primarily responsible for the ignition of forest fuels that cause wildfires. Dry lightning can spark wildfires even under wetter conditions, as seen in a study of lightning-ignited wildfires in the U.S. West, where lightning strikes caused wildfires despite up to 7.7 mm (about 0.3 inches) of precipitation.
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Frequently asked questions
Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere between clouds, the air, or the ground. It is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges.
Lightning occurs when there is an imbalance of charges between a region of the cloud and another surface, usually the ground. In the early stages, air acts as an insulator between the positive and negative charges. When the opposite charges build up enough, the air's insulating capacity breaks down, leading to a rapid discharge of electricity known as lightning.
There are three primary types of lightning: intracloud, intercloud or cloud-to-cloud, and cloud-to-ground. Intracloud lightning occurs within a single cloud, intercloud or cloud-to-cloud lightning occurs between two separate clouds, and cloud-to-ground lightning happens between a cloud and the ground.
The colour of lightning depends on what the light travels through to reach your eyes. For example, in snowstorms, pink and green are often described as colours of lightning due to the presence of haze, dust, moisture, and raindrops in the atmosphere.
Lightning strikes the earth over 8 million times per day, but the risk of being struck is low. However, the consequences of a lightning strike can be serious, and it poses a significant threat to people and infrastructure. Positive lightning bolts are considered more dangerous than negative bolts due to their stronger peak electric current, longer flash duration, and greater peak charge.
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