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Science Essay During every minute of every day, roughly 1,800 thunderstorms are creating lightning somewhere on Earth. Though the chances of being struck by lightning are estimated at 1 in 700,000, these huge electrical sparks are one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the USA each year with an average of 73 people killed; about 300 people usually are injured by lightning. At any moment, there are 1800 thunderstorms happening in the world. About 100 lightning bolts strike the earth every second. Lightning is one of the most fascinating parts of weather science. Although in recent years it has become predictable and safety cautions exist, back in the day lightning was something to be marveled at and people looked at them in wonderment. Lightning is a very large electrical spark. This spark happens when electrons move suddenly from one place to another. In a normal situation, electrons would be too small to see. However, during a lightning flash, they move so fast that it gives itself a certain glow. A streak of lightning shows the path the electrons took as they made their way to the ground. Lightning is formed when the electrons in the bottom of the cloud are attracted to the positive atoms located in the top of the cloud. In addition to THOSE positive atoms, the electrons are also attracted to those found in other clouds and the ground. When the attraction becomes strong enough, the electrons will shoot into a path towards a group of the positive atoms. Thus, the lightning is created. When the lightning is created, it can go several places. It can flash INSIDE the cloud, BETWEEN the clouds, or OUT of a cloud. In addition, it can hit the ground as well. Lightning may seem very short, but in fact the average length is about 3 or 4 miles. Of course this will vary between lightning strikes, but this is an average figure. Although lightning is several miles long, it is actually only a few inches wide. Lightning can happen during snowstorms, hailstorms, sandstorms, tornadoes, and thunderstorms. Once in a while, lightning even seems to come out of clear blue skies. Out of all these possible scenarios, the one most likely to happen is the thunderclouds. A specific type of thundercloud is the thunderhead. Thunderheads are the towering clouds you see during thunderstorms. In addition to lightning these mammoth clouds can bring rain, hail, sleet, snow, and strong winds. Another name for a thunderhead cloud is a cumulonimbus (cumulous + nimbus) cloud. There are several types of lightning. They may be ball-shaped and float through the air or roll around on the ground. The names of the different lightning are: heat lightning, bead and rocket lightning, ribbon lightning, and ball lightning. Thunder is what comes after lightning. Thunder is the loud and explosive sound, which is produced by a lightning strike. The lightning strike produces an enormous amount of heat, which causes the air around it to be heated to about 10,000 degrees Celsius within a few millionths of a second.
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