What is Lightning

1
What is Lightning?

• By
• Graham L. Donahue

2
What is Lightning?

• Lightning is a type of electrical shock that is
  made in thunderstorms.
• Its a giant spark that jumps from one cloud of
  charged particles to the next.
• There are four main types of lightning
• Cloud to Ground (CG)
• Cloud to Cloud (CC)
• In Cloud (IC)
• Cloud to Air (CA)

3
Some Interesting Facts

• Lightning is so bright because it gives off the
  equivalent of 100 million light bulbs
• The inside of a lightning bolt has been estimated
  to be as hot as 54,000F (30000C). Thats about
  six times hotter than the surface of the sun.
• Lightning is estimated to flash some 50 100
  times per second world wide.

4
What is Thunder?

• Thunder is the sound created by the lightning
  bolt superheating the air around it.
• If you count the seconds after you see the
  lightning until you hear the thunder and divide
  by five, that gives you the distance from you to
  the lightning strike in miles.
• Thunder is normally not heard more than ten miles
  away from the storm.

5
Types of Lightning

• Cloud to Ground
• Strike the ground (or water) in one strike,
  appears to come from the sky.
• Cloud to Air, In Cloud, and Cloud to Cloud
• These strikes appear to only take place in the
  clouds, there is no strike to the ground and
  sometimes a lightning bolt is not even seen, just
  the light that is emitted.

6
What Exactly Causes Lightning

• Lightning occurs when a cloud has a very strong
  charge, and another object (normally the ground)
  builds up a charge, when these opposite charges
  get close enough or built up enough, lightning
  strikes, much like when you place your tongue on
  a 9V battery.

7
Areas With Most Lightning Strike
8
Lightning Myths

• Lightning can and does strike twice.
• Lightning will strike anything in its path, not
  just metal.
• Wearing jewelry or other small metal objects will
  not make you more likely to get hit by lightning.
• A surge protector will not protect appliances
  from lightning strike.

9
Safety Tips

• If you hear thunder, move inside, you are in
  danger of being struck by lightning
• Do not use a corded phone in a lightning storm.
• Do not use any plug-in appliances during a
  lightning storm.
• Do not take a shower or bath during a lightning
  storm, lightning travels easily through metal
  pipes.

10
Thank Yous

• http//www.wvlightning.com/lmwn5.html
• http//www.wrh.noaa.gov/Flagstaff/science/lightnin
  .htm
• http//www.weather.com
• http//www.weather.gov