Why Does It Thunder During A Storm?

During a storm, areas of cold air meet up with areas of warmer area, causing the two regions of warm and cold to clash. This causes friction, which creates a discharge of sound energy. This is heard as a rumbling sound that we recognize as thunder. Thunder is often preceded by lighting.

Lightning is the electrical spark caused by the friction between the two regions of air. This shoots down to the ground as lightning. Lightning can take many forms – it can be a single line or it can appear as forks, or, more rarely it can form a ball of energy called a lightning bolt.

There are stories about bolts of lightning coming down chimneys in homes and exploding in the fireplace, setting fire to anyone standing in the room. These events are rare – it is more likely that you might be struck by lightning whilst on a hill during a storm.

Because its thundering