Lightning strikes are electrical discharges that are produced by imbalances between clouds and the Earth’s surface. In fact, most lightning occurs within the clouds themselves. During a storm, particles of rain, ice, or snow that collide within the clouds increase the imbalance between the clouds and the ground. These shocks cause the electric charges to separate, since the positive charge (protons) remains at the top of the cloud while the negative charge (electrons) remains at the bottom.
Objects on the ground such as steeples, trees or even the ground are positively charged, creating an imbalance that nature tries to solve by passing current between the two electrical charges. Also, lightning is extremely hot. A single lightning bolt can heat the air around you to a temperature five times higher than the surface of the sun. This heat causes the air to expand and vibrate, causing the sound we hear shortly after seeing lightning.
Types of rays
Cloud-to-ground lightning is quite popular. Among all the rays, this is the one that represents the greatest threat to people’s lives, since it hits the earth directly. In contrast, other types of lightning never leave the clouds, but instead travel within the same cloud or even search for others with different charges.
Another fairly popular ray is the pearl ray. It is a phenomenon similar to the previous one but brighter and longer lasting. We can also find cloud-to-cloud lightning, ground-to-cloud lightning, and bifurcated lightning, among many others.
Lightning Hazards
Lightning is not only spectacular, it is also dangerous to humans. Approximately 2000 people die in the world each year from lightning. Many people survive the rays, but suffer from various symptoms such as memory loss, dizziness, weakness, or numbness in the limbs. Also, lightning can cause cardiac arrest and severe burns, although nine out of ten people survive.
