What causes lightning to strike between clouds or touch the earth?
Lightning is one of the most beautiful displays in nature. It is also one of the most deadly natural phenomena known to man. With bolt temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun and shockwaves beaming out in all directions, lightning is a lesson in physical science and humility. Beyond its powerful beauty, lightning presents science with one of its greatest local mysteries: How does it work? It is common knowledge that lightning is generated in electrically charged storm systems, but the method of cloud charging still remains elusive. In this article, we will look at lightning from the inside out so that you can understand this phenomenon. Lightning begins with a process that’s less mysterious: the water cycle. To fully understand how the water cycle works, we must first understand the principles of evaporation and condensation Evaporation is the process by which a liquid absorbs heat and changes to a vapor. A good example is a puddle of water after a rainfall. Why does the puddl
This is what some scientists believe causes lightning. In thunderstorms, large fields of electricity are built up in the clouds when liquid and small ice particles reach freezing and collide. When these fields are large enough, a huge spark happens between them (static electricity) lessening the charge separation. A spark of lightning can happen between clouds, between the cloud and the ground or between a cloud and air. In the United States more than a 100 people die each year and approximately 250 people are injured from lightning strikes. Florida has more cases of lightning strikes than any other part of the United States due to the numerous thunderstorms that occur there each year. Thunderstorms can occur without much warning. Skies could be blue one moment and then a big black thunderhead could come up suddenly bringing rain, wind and lightning.
