Search results
See lightning strikes in real time across the planet. Free access to maps of former thunderstorms. By Blitzortung.org and contributors.
Find out if you are in immediate danger of being struck by lightning in the next 10 minutes. See the map of areas with high risk of lightning strikes in Canada and learn more about lightning safety.
- What's Happening Within The Cloud?
- How Is A Lightning Bolt formed?
- What Gives Lightning Its Zap?
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
As ice crystals high within a thunderstorm flow up and down in the turbulent air, they crash into each other. Small negatively charged particles called electrons are knocked off some ice crystals and added to other ice crystals as they crash past each other. This separates the positive (+) and negative (-) charges of the cloud. The top of the cloud...
Because opposites attract, the negative charge at the bottom of the storm cloud wants to link up with the ground’s positive charge. Once the negative charge at the bottom of the cloud gets large enough, a flow of negative charge called a stepped leader rushes toward the Earth. The positive charges at the ground are attracted to the stepped leader, ...
Lightning happens when the negative charges (electrons) in the bottom of the cloud are attracted to the positive charges (protons) in the ground. The accumulation of electric charges must be great enough to overcome the insulating properties of the air. When this happens, a stream of negative charges pours down toward a high point where positive ch...
Learn how lightning causes thunder, how lightning forms, and about the types of lightning that occur. Explore the science behind the spectacular element of a thunderstorm with interactive activities and videos.
At any moment, about 2,000 thunderstorms are occurring worldwide. Learn how thunderstorms form, what causes lightning and thunder, and how these violent phenomena help balance the planet's...
- 4 min
- 4.3M
- National Geographic
Jun 13, 2024 · Learn how lightning and thunder are created by static charges in clouds and how to stay safe in a lightning storm. See videos, animations and images of lightning from space and on the ground.
- 30 sec
Lightning strikes during thunderstorms kill more Americans each year than either tornadoes... National Geographic explores the science behind lightning strikes.
- 3 min
- 3.2M
- National Geographic
Learn how thunder is created by lightning passing through the air and how to calculate the distance to the storm by counting the seconds between flash and sound. Find out why thunder can be loud, sharp, or rumbling and how to stay safe from lightning strikes.
