Over the centuries, many cultures have passed down stories about lightning. The Greeks, Romans, and Norsemen each had their own folklore about gods who ruled the Earth with lightning rods. The stories of Zeus, Jupiter, and Thor were told because lightning fascinated human beings, and it was a phenomenon that was unexplainable-until now. Today, with the help of science, we know the real explanation about lightning!


You may have heard that Benjamin Franklin flew a kite during a thunderstorm to prove that lightning is a form of electricity. We know now that it was a dangerous thing to do, but Benjamin Franklin was correct in believing that lightning is a form of electricity. How does this "electricity" form?


When cold air moves in and meets warm moist air, the warm air rises rapidly, forming anvil shaped cumulonimbus clouds or thunderstorm clouds! During the thunderstorm, water droplets and ice crystals in the clouds bump together and break up as they rub against each other in strong currents of air. As a result, static electrical charges can develop in the clouds.


The positive electrical charges in the cloud concentrate at the top, while the negative electrical charges are at the bottom. When the charge at the base of the cloud reaches a certain strength, electrical energy is released and passes through the air to another point that has an opposite charge. This release of energy is called a leader stroke and can travel along a path from the cloud to the ground or from the cloud to another cloud. No one is sure why lightning bolts usually follow a zig-zag path as they move. The main stroke will travel back up to the cloud and produce a flash of lightning and also heat the air, causing it to expand quickly and produce the sound we hear as thunder.


Lightning is dangerous and should be avoided at all times. It is the leading cause of forest fires and can kill people and animals. Here are some important safety rules you should remember to be safe during a thunderstorm:

• Avoid open spaces but do not take shelter under a tree. The best shelter is inside a building.
  
• If you are swimming, get out of the water at the first sign of an approaching storm. Even though the storm seems to be a long way off, remember that lightning can travel over 20 miles!
  
• During a thunderstorm, shut off all electrical appliances (unplugging them is best) and don¿t use the telephone.
  
• Never walk in a thunderstorm carrying a metal pole, and that includes an umbrella!
  
• If you feel the hair on your head or body start to rise and stand up, it means that a lightning bolt may be about to strike nearby. Leave the area as fast as you can. If you cannot reach safety quickly, get as close to the ground as you can.