Why Do We Have Lightning And Thunder

When the attraction becomes too strong the positive and negative charges come together or discharge to balance the difference in a flash of lightning sometimes known as a lightning strike or lightning bolt.

Why do we have lightning and thunder.

Fleetwood mac captured the essence of thunder and rain in the song dreams thunder only happens when its raining thunder is a consequence of lightning and lightning is born in rain clouds. To make this electric current first you need a cloud. The reason we see lightning before we hear thunder is because light travels faster than sound. How does lightning form.

This is what we hear and call thunder the rumbling of thunder is simply caused by the vibration or sound of the air affected by lightning. The sound of thunder should serve as a warning to anyone outside that they are within striking distance of the storm and need to get to a safe place immediately. When lightning is made the same thing happens but on a much bigger scale. As the air rises water vapour cools and forms a cloud.

A scishow kids viewer wants to know why do lightning and thunder happen get your raincoat because jessi will take you inside a thunderstorm to give you. Most lightning occurs within the clouds. Energy from a lightning channel heats the air briefly to around 50 000 degrees fahrenheit much hotter than the surface of the sun. Lightning is an electric current.

When water on the earth s surface is heated by the sun. If you re nearby to a lightning strike you may have heard thunder as a really loud crack almost like the sound of a whip being cracked. The rapid expansion and heating of air caused by lightning produces the accompanying loud clap of thunder. Lightning is an electrical discharge caused by imbalances between storm clouds and the ground or within the clouds themselves.

When the ground is hot it heats the air above it. Read more about nssl s lightning research here. Thunder is the sound caused by a nearby flash of lightning and can be heard for a distance of only about 10 miles from the lightning strike. If you hear thunder then you need to go indoors or get in a car.

But most of the time we hear thunder as a loud long rumble. This warm air rises.