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lightning
Table of Contents
Introduction & Top Questions References & Edit History Related Topics
Images & Videos
lightning discharge
Is ball lightning real?
electrical charge distribution in a thunderstorm triggered lightning
What causes thunder and lightning?
lightning and thunder lightning rod types lightning rod protection system for a residential building lightning: cloud-to-ground Lightning flash striking a tree at a distance of 60 metres from the camera.
Quizzes
Lightning over a farm field. Weather electricity thunderstorm light energy tree
Facts You Should Know: Weather Quiz
Umbrella colored like a rainbow sticking out above a sea of black umbrellas while it rains. (storm, weather)
Weather Words Vocabulary Quiz
rain. Child in the rain, wearing a rain coat, under a yellow umbrella. April Showers weather climate rain storm water drops
April Showers to March’s Lions and Lambs
battery. Illustration of battery connected to lightbulb. Power a light bulb with a battery. Battery, Power Supply, Science, Circuit, Currents
Electricity: Short Circuits & Direct Currents
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
13 True-or-False Questions from Britannica’s Easiest Science Quizzes
Related Questions
Read Next
Lightning over a farm field. Weather electricity thunderstorm light energy tree
Can Lightning Strike the Same Place Twice?
Lightning over the outskirts of Oradea, Rom., during the thunderstorm of August 17, 2005.
16 Questions About Earth’s Atmsophere and Weather Answered
Discover
New Zealand. Political/Physical map. Includes locator.
Where Is “Old Zealand”?
All Saints Day. All Souls Day. Candles in cemetery in Poland on All Saints Day, November 1. All Souls Day, November 2. Christian church, All Hallows, Solemnity of All Saints, Feast of All Saints, purgatory, Roman Catholic church
7 Unique Burial Rituals Across the World
Candles Burning On Table In Church
What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?
Beet. Beta vulgaris. Sugar beet. Two rows of harvested beets.
18 Questions About Farming Answered
Shot of a woman drinking a glass of water at home. Drink sip hydration
How Much Water Should a Person Drink in a Day?
Lusitania sinking, illustration from The War of the Nations (New York), December 31, 1919. World War I, WWI. This image is one of three on the page. (See source file for the other two.)
7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks
Marriage. A couple getting married during a church wedding ceremony. (religion, ceremony, bride, groom)
The Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic church

lightning: Related Content

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News •

On This Date: Lightning Sparked California Oil Fire Spawned Tornadoes • Apr. 8, 2025, 1:50 AM ET (The Weather Channel)

Photos and Videos

lightning discharge
electrical charge distribution in a thunderstorm
triggered lightning
lightning and thunder
lightning rod types
lightning rod protection system for a residential building
lightning: cloud-to-ground
Lightning flash striking a tree at a distance of 60 metres from the camera.
Lightning over Oradea, Romania
thunderstorm: rain and lightning
Is ball lightning real?
What causes thunder and lightning?
Discover how rapid updrafts of warm air form cumulonimbus clouds resulting in heavy rains and lightning
Learn the science of lightning strikes and see how Faraday cages or Faraday suits channel lightning away from the objects they contain
Observe the density of lightning flashes in a typical year with its highest rate in South America, Africa, and Australasia
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Charles Steinmetz.
Charles Proteus Steinmetz
American engineer
C.T.R. Wilson, 1927
C.T.R. Wilson
British physicist
Ebenezer Kinnersley
American scientist

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Lightning over a farm field. Weather electricity thunderstorm light energy tree
Facts You Should Know: Weather Quiz
rain. Child in the rain, wearing a rain coat, under a yellow umbrella. April Showers weather climate rain storm water drops
April Showers to March’s Lions and Lambs
battery. Illustration of battery connected to lightbulb. Power a light bulb with a battery. Battery, Power Supply, Science, Circuit, Currents
Electricity: Short Circuits & Direct Currents
Umbrella colored like a rainbow sticking out above a sea of black umbrellas while it rains. (storm, weather)
Weather Words Vocabulary Quiz
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
13 True-or-False Questions from Britannica’s Easiest Science Quizzes
List
Lightning over the outskirts of Oradea, Rom., during the thunderstorm of August 17, 2005.
16 Questions About Earth’s Atmsophere and Weather Answered
Demystified
Lightning over a farm field. Weather electricity thunderstorm light energy tree
Can Lightning Strike the Same Place Twice?