Why There Are Lightning And Thunder During Storms

Everyone at some point in our lives has been surprised by a storm of lightning and thunder. It is a spectacular event, which makes us have feelings of fear and surprise at the same time, but it does not stop being one of the greatest wonders of our planet. Today in this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to talk about why there is lightning and thunder during stormsIn this way, you will know better the conformation of our planet.

To begin with this lesson on why there is lightning and thunder during storms, we must first of all understand the definition of a storm, since many times we may not fully grasp the importance of this phenomenon.

A storm happens when two or more air masses of different temperatures coexist with each other. The contrast between the two air masses entails an instability that is characterized by being accompanied by a strong fall of rain, wind, lightning, thunder, lightning and hail.

Although storms are generally defined as clouds capable of producing thunder, Violent atmospheric phenomena, such as rain and rain, can also be defined as storms. hail.

In this other lesson from a TEACHER we discover you How is rain formed, with an explanation designed for the understanding of children.

Storms are created when a low-pressure center develops with a high-pressure system surrounding it. The clash of these two strong currents it is what creates storm clouds, such as cumulonimbus.

The formation of storms is a process that can be divided into three phases well differentiated from each other, which are the following:

• Cumulus stage: The Sun heats the Earth's surface, causing the air to heat up and rise in an upward current, since warm air is lighter than cold air. Due to this, the air condenses forming a cumulus cloud, which increases against more hot air.
• Mature stage: When the cloud reaches a large size, the water it contains becomes very heavy. Due to this, when the rising air cannot sustain the water, the beginning of a weak precipitation occurs. After this, the cold air begins to enter the cloud, and being heavier than the hot air, a downward current is produced, which carries the water from the cloud and causes the rain. As an updraft, a downdraft, and rain unite in the cloud, lightning and thunder begin to appear.
• Final stage: When the downdraft dominates the updraft the storm comes to an end. This is because the hot air can no longer rise, and therefore can no longer form rain.

Continuing with this lesson of why there are lightning and thunder during storms we must define these two so impressive phenomena that happen during storms, that is, we must explain lightning and thunders.

The rays

Lightning bolts are powerful electrical discharges. They are usually approximately 1,500 meters long, although they can be much larger. In addition to a great length, they are characterized by the great speed with which they reach the surface, since they reach about 200,000 kilometers per hour.

The rays are generated in the aforementioned cumulonimbus clouds, since upon reaching a certain height, positive charges in clouds attract negative charges, and this is what causes lightning.

The Thunders

On the other hand there is the thunder. These They are the explosion that causes the lightning passing by, being just the sound we hear in thunderstorms. The lightning heats the air through which it passes to a temperature higher than 20,000 ºC, and this is what causes the birth of thunder. Thunder can be rumbled by echoes from clouds and ground, making this phenomenon loud.

Therefore, in electrical storms, lightning and thunder can appear at the same time, even if we see the lightning first, because light propagates before sound. Therefore, when we see lightning, it takes a few seconds to hear the thunder that accompanies it, the time depending on the distance at which it is.