If you count the seconds between the flash and the bang, you can tell how far away the storm is! Every five seconds you count equals about one mile of distance.
It all starts inside a big, fluffy thunderstorm cloud called a . Inside these clouds, the air is moving very fast. Bits of ice and raindrops are bumping into each other like bumper cars. If you count the seconds between the flash
When that connection happens— ZAP! —a giant spark of electricity shoots through the air. That is . Lightning is incredibly hot—even hotter than the surface of the sun! The Boom: Thunder Inside these clouds, the air is moving very fast
You might notice that you always see the lightning before you hear the thunder. That’s because . It’s like a race where the light is a superhero flying at top speed, and the sound is a person jogging behind. —a giant spark of electricity shoots through the air