One of the most fantastic displays of electricity in nature is lightning. Lightning occurs when large amounts of electrostatic energy builds up in clouds from the energy of storms. When electrically charged regions of clouds discharge their energy, a large flash of electricity can be seen in the sky. Lightning may occur from cloud to cloud or it can occur from cloud to the ground.
Lightning strikes carry huge amounts of energy. A typical lightning strike carries an electric current of over 30,000 amps and delivers 500 megajoules of energy. |
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