LIGHTNING By Gracie

How Does Lighting Work?

The top of a cloud has a positive electric charge, the bottom of a cloud has a negative electric charge. If the negative charged atoms become to crowded, they “jump” to another part of the cloud, to another cloud , or to the ground. This jump causes static electricity we call lightning!

How Often Does Lightning Strike?

Lightning strikes the earth about 6,002 times a minuet all around the world, so it is very likely that lightning is striking somewhere right now! The most struck place in the world is Central Africa!

Getting Hit By Lightning

Lightning strikes the earth constantly, so many people get hit by lightning. Every year an average of 300 people are struck by lightning in the U.S., but luckily only 10% of those 300 actually die!

Types of Lightning! Cloud-to-Ground- Cloud –to-ground is the most unsafe and severe lighting strike

known to man but not the most common! In-Cloud- In Cloud lightning is when lightning strikes in the cloud and

never hits or harms anything on land! Cloud-to-air Cloud to air lightning is when the air around a positively

charged cloud top reaches out to the negatively charged air around it which causes it to strike up in the air!

Lightning Warning Signals Your hair will stand on

end Your skin will tingle Light metal objects

will start to vibrate of buzz

Metallic taste in your mouth

Palms get sweaty Smell of ozone

(swimming pool smell)

Fulgurite Fulgurite is natural, hollow glass tunnels formed in the sand by lightning. It can also

be made in rock, but sand is the most common! When lightning hits the sand, it is so hot that it melts the sand particles together to form Fulgurite. The average diameter for Fulgurite is 1-2 inches, but can be up to 30 inches long! Fulgurite is the Latin word for lightning!.

Fun Fact! The energy from

one flash of lightning flash could light a 100 watt lightning bulb for more than 3 months!

Credits http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/06/0623_040623_lightningfacts.html

http://www.stormwise.com/striking.htm

http://www.sky-fire.tv/index.cgi/lightning.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning

http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/lightning.html

Picture Credits

http://www.thelensflare.com/large/lightning_28148.jpg

http://www.schoolersinc.com/images/Pantano_fulgurite_a.jpg

http://www.uwec.edu/jolhm/EH4/Lightning/Lightning/1.jpg

http://www.stormwise.com/striking.htm http://markgorman.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/

lightning-bolt-poster.jpghttp://weblogs.wgntv.com/chicago-weather/tom-skilling-blog/lightning%202%5B1%5D.jpg