A typical cloud-to-ground lightning flash culminates in the formation of an electrically conducting plasma channel through the air in excess of 5 km (3.1 mi) tall, from within the cloud to the ground's surface.

Each cloud-to-ground lightning flash consists of one or more leaders followed by one or more return strokes. The leader is the initial step in the lightning flash and establishes the conductive channel …

If a lightning flash is going to strike ground, a channel develops downward toward the surface. When it gets less than roughly a hundred yards of the ground, objects like trees and bushes and buildings …

Dec 18, 2017 · A beautiful and deadly natural phenomenon, lightning is simply a sudden, electrostatic discharge - a ‘spark’ or ‘flash’ as charged atmospheric regions temporarily equalise themselves …

5 days ago · The visible flash of a lightning strike travels at the speed of light (670 million miles per hour), while the electrical discharge itself travels more slowly, roughly around 200 million miles per …

We see it as the bright flash of a lightning bolt. Thunder and lightning occur at roughly the same time although you see the flash of lightning before you hear the thunder.

Aug 1, 2025 · A record-breaking lightning bolt stretched over 500 miles—made visible thanks to space-based lightning mappers. These rare megaflashes are enormous, powerful, and still not fully …

Williams says a typical lightning bolt bridges a potential difference (voltage) of several hundred million volts. Williams says that a typical lightning bolt may transfer 10 20 electrons in a fraction of a second, …

While both positive and negative flashes are deadly, there are significant differences between the two in terms of their formation and behavior. Positive leaders typically originate from the positive charged …

Jul 31, 2025 · A lightning flash that extended from near Dallas, Texas, to Kansas City, Missouri, now holds the record for the longest lightning discharge ever recorded. Known as a “megaflash,” the …