Question 1 of 15
Roughly how hot is a lightning bolt?
Why: About 30,000 K — five times hotter than the Sun's surface.
Question 2 of 15
What causes thunder?
Why: Air heated by the lightning channel expands explosively, creating a shockwave heard as thunder.
Question 3 of 15
If you count the seconds between flash and thunder, divide by what to get miles?
Why: Sound travels about 1 mile in 5 seconds.
Question 4 of 15
Which US state has the most lightning per square mile?
Why: Florida — nicknamed 'the Lightning Capital of the US'.
Question 5 of 15
What's a positive lightning strike?
Why: Positive strikes come from the anvil of the cloud and can be more destructive.
Question 6 of 15
What's the '30/30 rule' for lightning safety?
Why: Both parts of the rule matter — the second is when it's actually safe to leave shelter.
Question 7 of 15
What high-altitude red flash appears above thunderstorms?
Why: Sprites are brief red flashes in the mesosphere, above 50 km.
Question 8 of 15
Roughly how many times per second does lightning strike Earth?
Why: About 40–50 flashes per second globally.
Question 9 of 15
What is a supercell thunderstorm?
Why: The rotating updraft is called a mesocyclone.
Question 10 of 15
What thunderstorm feature causes tornadoes?
Why: The mesocyclone can tighten and drop a funnel to the ground.
Question 11 of 15
What is a derecho?
Why: Derechos travel hundreds of miles with straight-line winds over 58 mph.
Question 12 of 15
What is a microburst?
Why: Microbursts are compact downdrafts, dangerous for aviation.
Question 13 of 15
What percentage of lightning strike victims survive?
Why: About 90% survive, though many have long-term injuries.
Question 14 of 15
Who invented the lightning rod?
Why: Franklin invented the lightning rod in 1752.
Question 15 of 15
How far can lightning strike from its parent storm?
Why: 'Bolts from the blue' can strike far from the storm cell itself.