Lightning what makes

A build up of positive charge builds up on the ground beneath the cloud, attracted to the negative charge in the bottom of the cloud.

The ground's positive charge concentrates around anything that sticks up - trees, lightning conductors, even people! The positive charge from the ground connects with the negative charge from the clouds and a spark of lightning strikes. Go to What is lightning?

Lightning is an amazing natural phenomenon. Use it to discuss the nature of electricity, charge and the transfer of electrical energy into heat, light and sound. Planet Science. Advanced Search. Under 11s. Over 11s. Over 11s Natural world. Human body. Physics IS fun! Science celebrities. Chemistry Chaos. Landmasses, therefore, experience more storms than the oceans and thunderstorms are also more frequent in tropical areas than the higher latitudes.

What causes thunder and lightning? You might also like. Read more. In this article we take a quick look at what exactly is meant by phrases like 'summer showers' and 'sunshine and showers'.

Otherwise known as The King of Clouds, cumulonimbus clouds exist through the entire height of the troposphere, usually characterised by their icy, anvil-shaped top.

Help us improve our website Take our short survey. These lightning strikes can cause fire and property damage. If you're the tallest object, then lighting can strike you. Lightning is the second weather related killed. What is intracloud lightning? Intracloud lightning is the most common type of lightning. This occurs when there are both positive and negative charges within the same cloud. Usually, the process takes place within the cloud and looks like a bright flash of light which flickers.

What is intercloud lightning? Intercloud lightning is less common. It's when a lightning strike occurs when there are positive and negative charges within different clouds and the strike travels in the air between them. What is forked lightning?

Forked lighting appears as jagged lines of light. They can have several branches. Forked lightning can be seen shooting from the clouds to the ground, from one cloud to another cloud, or from a cloud out into the air.

This lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. What is sheet lightning? Sheet lightning appears as flashes of light that seem to light up or illuminate entire clouds. What is heat lightning? Heat lightning is a term used to describe lightning flashes that are too far away from you to hear the thunder. The reason that it is called heat lightning is that it appears most often on a hot summer day when the sky is clear overhead. What is high-altitude lightning? High-altitude lightning has been given other names such as "red sprites," "green elves," and "blue jets.

You can't see these types of lightning from the ground. What is ribbon lightning? Ribbon lightning is when a bolt of lightning separates due to wind and appears as parallel lightning streaks.

What is chain or bead lightning? Chain or bead lightning is when a lightning bolt is broken into dotted lines while fading. What is ball lightning? Ball lightning is a rare form of lightning. It usually appears as a reddish, luminous ball, but can come in any color. Ball lightning is usually spherical in shape and about one foot in diameter. Hissing noises originate from such balls and they sometimes make a loud noise when they explode.

What is St. Elmo's Fire? Elmo's Fire appears as a blue or greenish glow above pointed objects on the ground. It is created when tiny positively charged sparks reach up in response to negatively charges in the air or clouds above the ground. If a thunderstorm is nearby, St. Elmo's Fire might be seen right before a lightning strike. What is anvil lightning? Anvil lightning is a type of lightning referred to as "the bolt from the blue" because it often appears suddenly from a seemingly cloudless sky.

A bolt at the top of a thunderstorm arcs away from the main cloud and strikes the ground where the skies above often appear clear. Can you tell how far away a storm is? Yes, you can use thunder to tell how far away a storm is.