What Causes Thunder And Lightning? | Thunderstorm: | Video For Kids

Nature likes things to be balanced. When the bottom of the cloud gets too full of negative charges, it wants to get rid of them. It looks for something with a positive charge to connect with, like the ground, a tree, or even another cloud.

The Spark and the Boom: How Thunder and Lightning Work Have you ever watched a dark sky light up with a giant flash, followed by a loud BOOM that makes your windows rattle? It feels like nature is putting on a giant light show! But even though it looks like magic, it is actually all about science. The Setup: Clouds Getting "Static-y" Nature likes things to be balanced

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 The Spark and the Boom: How Thunder and

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. The Setup: Clouds Getting "Static-y" When that connection

Because lightning is so hot, it heats up the air around it instantly. When air gets hot that fast, it expands (pushes outward) very quickly, like a balloon popping. This creates a huge sound wave that travels through the sky. That sound is what we call . Fun Fact: Why do we see the light first?