Thunder and lightning

Kaboom! Watching and listening to a thunderstorm can be exciting, but you wouldn't want to be out in it. All thunderstorms cause lightning which is dangerous. Lightning occurs when ice and water particles bump around in thunder clouds to create an electric charge.

As they bump into each other, they create an electric charge. When the charge comes in contact with electrical charges on the ground, lightning strikes.

When the charge hits electrical charges on the ground, lightning strikes. Lightning is most likely to hit tall objects,including trees, mountains and people - anything that stands up from the ground. Thunderstorms can occur at any time of the year, but they happen most often during the spring, summer and fall. They also occur in the afternoon and evening.

There are more than 1,800 thunderstorms every day on Earth.

When lightning strikes it makes a hole in the air called a channel.After the lightning, the hole collapses. The sound you hear when the hole collapses is thunder.

Fun Facts about Thunder and Lightning for children

- Lightning kills more people every year than tornadoes or hurricanes - about 75 to 100 people.

- If you can hear thunder, lightning is nearby.

- - You can hear thunder up to 15 miles away and lightning up to 100 miles away!

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