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While the flashes we see as a result of a lightning strike travel at the speed of light (670,000,000 mph) an actual lightning strike travels at a comparatively gentle 270,000 mph. This means it...
A typical cloud-to-ground lightning bolt begins when a step-like series of negative charges, called a stepped leader, races downward from the bottom of a storm cloud toward the Earth along a...
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Aug 19, 2020 · Fact: Actually, lightning can, and often does, strike the same place repeatedly — especially if it’s a tall and isolated object. For example, the Empire State Building is hit about 25 times per year offsite link .
Lightning. NASA’s lightning data, collected from the ground, air, and space, help scientists understand lightning patterns and predict severe weather. Lightning is the electrical discharge between positively and negatively charged regions within clouds.
Lightning is not distributed evenly around Earth. On Earth, the lightning frequency is approximately 44 (± 5) times per second, or nearly 1.4 billion flashes per year [34] and the median duration is 0.52 seconds [35] made up from a number of much shorter flashes (strokes) of around 60 to 70 microseconds.
As the attraction between the cloud and the ground grows stronger, electrons shoot down from the cloud cutting through the air at around 270,000 miles per hour. Lightning flashes and...
High above thunderstorm clouds at altitudes between 50–90 km, large-scale electrical discharges can occur. These are triggered by thundercloud-to-ground lightning activity. They appear as fleeting, luminous, red-orange flashes and take on a variety of shapes.
