Jan 10, 2022 · By contributing to the production of nitrogen dioxide, a greenhouse gas, lightning is also a direct contributor to global warming. “There is added urgency to look at climate change’s effect on lightning because the World Meteorological Agency recently added lightning to its list of essential climate variables,” said Lang.

Jan 23, 2025 · NASA’s lightning data, collected from the ground, air, and space, help scientists understand lightning patterns and predict severe weather.

See lightning strikes in real time across the planet. Free access to maps of former thunderstorms. By Blitzortung.org and contributors.

Apr 5, 2023 · The conditions needed to produce lightning have been known for some time. However, exactly how lightning forms has never been verified, so there is room for debate. Leading theories focus around separation of electric charge and generation of an electric field within a thunderstorm. Recent studies a

What IS Lightning? Lightning is the occurrence of a natural electrical discharge of very short duration and high voltage between a cloud and the ground or within a cloud. This violent and sudden electrostatic discharge generates a bright flash and thunder.

Lightning is an electrical discharge caused by imbalances between storm clouds and the ground, or within the clouds themselves. Most lightning occurs within the clouds. "Sheet lightning" describes ...

Jan 19, 2025 · Lightning, the visible discharge of electricity that occurs when a region of a cloud acquires an excess electrical charge, either positive or negative, sufficient to break down the resistance of air. It can occur within the cloud, between clouds, between the cloud and the air, or between the cloud and the ground.

The distribution of lightning, or the incidence of individual strikes, in any particular place is highly dependent on its location, climate, and time of year. Lightning does have an underlying spatial distribution.

May 2, 2016 · Earth has a new lightning capital, according to a recent study using observations from the Lightning Imaging Sensor onboard NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission.

Apr 5, 2023 · Lightning has been seen in volcanic eruptions, extremely intense forest fires, surface nuclear detonations, heavy snowstorms, and large hurricanes. However, it is most often seen in thunderstorms. In fact, lightning (and the resulting thunder) is what makes a …