Lightning Strikes Earth 100 Times Every Second

The Earth's atmosphere is in a constant state of electrical activity, with an estimated 1,800 to 2,000 thunderstorms in progress at any given moment. This atmospheric turmoil results in a staggering frequency of lightning, with approximately 100 flashes occurring every second around the globe. This relentless light show adds up to nearly 8 million lightning strikes per day. The immense energy of a lightning bolt is difficult to comprehend. The air it passes through is heated to temperatures of about 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is roughly five times hotter than the surface of the Sun.

This incredible natural phenomenon is the result of a complex process of charge separation within storm clouds. Inside a thundercloud, collisions between small ice crystals and water droplets strip away electrons, creating a separation of positive and negative charges. Typically, the top of the cloud becomes positively charged, while the base becomes negatively charged. When the electrical potential between the cloud and the ground, or between different clouds, becomes great enough to overcome the insulating properties of air, a massive discharge of electricity occurs, which we see as lightning.

The flash (Review) of light we perceive as a lightning strike is actually the "return stroke." A nearly invisible channel of negatively charged air, called a stepped leader, first descends from the cloud. As it nears the ground, an upward-moving positive charge, known as a streamer, rises to meet it. When they connect, a powerful electrical current flows, and the resulting brilliant flash travels back up the channel into the cloud. This entire, incredibly energetic event happens in a fraction of a second, a constant and powerful reminder of the electrical forces at play in our planet's atmosphere.