Posted by ANUSREE GK on Dec. 19, 2012, 5:20 p.m.
Lightning is a massive electrostatic discharge caused by unbalanced electric charge in the atmosphere, either inside clouds, cloud to cloud or cloud to ground, accompanied by the loud sound of thunder.
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A typical cloud to ground lightning strike can be over 5 km (3 mi) long.[1] A typical thunderstorm may have three or more strikes per minute at its peak.[2] Lightning is usually produced by cumulonimbus clouds up to 15 km high (10 mi) high, based 5–6 km (3-4 mi) above the ground. Lightning is caused by the circulation of warm moisture-filled air through electric fields.[3] Ice or water particles then accumulate charge as in a Van de Graaf generator.[4] Lightning may occur during snow storms (thundersnow), volcanic eruptions, dust storms, forest fires or tornadoes.[5][6] Hurricanes typically generate some lightning, mainly in the rainbands as much as 160 km (100 mi) from the center.[7][8][9]
When the local electric field exceeds the dielectric strength of damp air (about 3 million Volts/m), electrical discharge results, often followed by more discharges along the same path. Mechanisms that cause lightning are still a matter of scientific investigation.[10][11]
Fear of lightning is called astraphobia. The study or science of lightning is called fulminology.[12]