Today’s topic with Weather 101 is all about lightning and thunder. Lightning is the result of water droplets and ice particles colliding into each other high up in a cumulonimbus cloud. This charge build-up leads to a large charge separation of positive charged protons and negative charged electrons. When this charge build up gets big enough, it leads to a lightning bolt.
There are different types of lightning within a thunderstorm and each one can be dangerous. We show you the different kinds in this video. Thunder is the result of the lightning bolt super-heating the air, resulting in a shock wave that spreads out from the lightning bolt.
Can you tell how far away a lightning bolt is when a thunderstorm is nearby? Watch this Weather 101 for the answer.
