Why is there thunder and lightning Why is there thunder and lightning

The cause of lightning formation is that air currents in thunderclouds produce static electricity due to the friction and decomposition of water molecules. There are two types of electricity. One is the positive charge with the positively charged particles, and the other is the negative charge with the negatively charged particles.

Positive and negative charges attract each other, like magnets. The positive charge is at the upper end of the cloud, and the negative charge attracts the positive charge on the ground at the lower end of the cloud. The air between the clouds and the ground is both an insulator that prevents the current of the charge at the poles from passing through.

When the charge in the thundercloud and the charge on the ground become strong enough, the two parts of the charge will break through the air barrier and come into contact to form a strong current, and the positive charge and the negative charge will come into contact. When these opposite-sex charges meet, a neutralizing effect (discharge) occursThe intense neutralization of the charge emits a large amount of light and heat, and these emitted light forms [lightning].

Most lightning bolts are connected twice. The first time it is called a pilot flash, it is an invisible air called a leader, and it goes down to the place close to the ground. This stream of live air acts like a wire, creating a path for the second current.

The moment the lead approaches the ground, a reconnect current jumps up along the path, and the flash produced by the reconnect is what we normally see as lightning. The cause of thunder is now known to emit a large amount of light and heat when the charge is neutralized, and the instantaneous release of a large amount of heat will heat the surrounding air to a high temperature of 30,000 degrees Celsius. When a strong electric current passes through the air, it causes the air along the way to expand suddenly, and at the same time pushes the surrounding air, causing the air to vibrate violently, and the sound produced at this time is [thunder].

Don't forget to tell your little one that thunder and lightning happen at the same time, because the speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound, so we always see lightning before we hear it. If lightning falls near, we hear a deafening rumble. If lightning falls far away, we hear the rumbling of thunder.

This is because of the echoes emitted by sound waves when they are refracted by the atmosphere and reflected by objects on the ground.

Causes of formation:

Since the same charge repels each other, the positive and negative charges are concentrated at each end of the cloud. When the electricity carried by the cumulus clouds reaches a certain level, it will pass through the air and discharge, neutralizing the two charges and generating sparks, which is the phenomenon of lightning.

Because of the uneven resistance of the air, the shape of the electric advance is mostly zigzag, forming a band of light like a tree branch, which is lightning; And the discharge causes the air to vibrate and make a sound, which is thunder.

The so-called lightning in life refers to seeing lightning without making sound, and thunder is seeing lightning and hearing sound, which is caused by the fact that light travels faster than sound. But both lightning and thunder occur at the same time, but the speed of propagation is different, so Tachibana has the saying that lightning strikes first and then thunder.

Precautions for thundering:

1. Do not stay on the platform of high-rise buildings during thunderstorms, and do not enter isolated sheds and sentry boxes in outdoor open places.

2. Keep away from exposed metal objects such as water pipes and gas pipes and electrical equipment in buildings.

3. It is not advisable to take shelter from thunderstorms under big trees, if you have no choice, you must keep a distance of 3 meters from the trunk of the tree, squat and put your legs together.

4. When sheltering from a thunderstorm outdoors, you should be careful not to support the ground with your hands, hold your knees with your hands at the same time, keep your chest close to your knees, and lower your head as much as possible.

5. In thunderstorms, it is not advisable to play dust umbrellas in the wilderness, or hold badminton rackets, golf clubs, hoes, etc.; Outdoor ball games should not be played.

Summary. Thunder occurs because the water vapor in the cumulonimbus cloud generates static electricity when it is constantly moving, causing a voltage difference between the clouds and the ground, and when the voltage difference is large, it will break through the air.

Thunder is caused by the fact that the water vapor in the clouds is constantly moving when the cumulonum rain brightens and destroys the sky, which causes a voltage difference between the clouds and the ground.

Thunder and lightning are formed by the electrons outside the nucleus of space gas being excited by an electric field to form a plasma conductive state, which is also accompanied by the generation of optical radiation and thermal effects.

Thunder and lightning are mainly formed because cumulonimbus clouds have an electric charge and discharge when certain conditions are reached.

The top of the cumulonimbus cloud is generally high, up to 20 km, and the upper part of the cloud often has ice crystals. Processes such as the attachment of ice crystals, the breaking of water droplets, and the convection of air cause electric charges to be generated in the clouds. The distribution of charges in the cloud is more complex, but in general, the upper part of the cloud is dominated by positive charges and the lower part is dominated by negative charges.

As a result, a potential difference is formed between the upper and lower parts of the cloud. When the potential difference reaches a certain level, an electric discharge will be generated, which is our common lightning phenomenon. The average current of lightning is 30,000 amps, and the maximum current can reach 300,000 amps.

The voltage of lightning is high, about 100 million to 1 billion volts. A moderate thunderstorm can reach 10 million watts, which is equivalent to the output of a small nuclear power plant.

During the discharge, due to the sudden increase in temperature in the lightning channel, the volume of air expands dramatically, resulting in a shock wave, resulting in a strong thunderclap. When a charged thundercloud comes close to a protrusion on the ground, a violent discharge occurs between them. At the lightning discharge site, there will be a strong flashing light and a loud noise.

This is the lightning and thunder that people see and hear.

Seasonal differences

In spring and summer, due to the influence of the warm and humid airflow from the south, the air is humid, and the solar radiation is strong, the air near the ground is constantly heated and rises, and the cold air in the upper layer sinks, which is easy to form strong convection, so there are many thunderstorms and hail. In winter, due to the control of the continental cold air mass, the air is cold and dry, and the solar radiation is weak, the air is not easy to form violent convection, so thundershowers rarely occur.

However, sometimes the weather is warm in winter, and the warm and humid air is stronger, and when the strong cold air in the north occasionally goes south, the warm and humid air is forced to rise, and the convection intensifies, thundershowers will be formed, and the so-called "thunder winter" phenomenon appears.

The generation of thunderstorms does not depend on the temperature itself, but on the distribution of the temperature up and down. In other words, although the temperature is not high in winter, if the temperature difference between the upper and lower reaches a certain value, strong convection can also be formed, resulting in thunderstorms. Winter thunderstorms are rare in China, but they are common in winter in Toronto, Canada.

Uneven charge distribution in clouds: When clouds are formed, particles such as water droplets and ice crystals in clouds are distributed in the clouds through motion and friction. Discharge occurs when the electric field reaches a certain level.

2.Collisions: Clouds are often seen as static objects, but in reality the air currents inside them are very intense and complex.

In particular, the charge separation and accumulation caused by the intermingling, friction and collision between different air masses and air flows may cause the discharge phenomenon. 3.Surface process:

For example, the heating of solar energy produces convective air currents and also affects the local humidity, and if these clouds come into contact with the terrain such as mountains and swamps, they can change the state of the clouds themselves, resulting in charge separation and accumulation and discharge. When doing outdoor activities, you will be injured by lightning and lightning, so avoid working or playing in open areas, mountain tops and other high grounds, and lying under trees. If you notice that the weather suddenly turns bad, take shelter indoors, or stay away from high ground and metal structures.

I hope my return to the trail can help you, thank you!