When the two connect, an electrical current flows as negative charges fly down the channel towards earth and a visible flash of lightning streaks upward at some 200,000,000 mph (300,000,000 kph), transferring electricity as lightning in the process. When the lowermost step comes within 150 feet (46 meters) of a positively charged object, it is met by a climbing surge of positive electricity, called a streamer, which can rise up through a building, a tree, or even a person. Each of these segments is about 150 feet (46 meters) long. Each bolt can contain up to one billion volts of electricity.Ī typical cloud-to-ground lightning bolt begins when a step-like series of negative charges, called a stepped leader, races downward from the bottom of a storm cloud toward the Earth along a channel at about 200,000 mph (300,000 kph). Types of LightningĬloud-to-ground lightning bolts are a common phenomenon-about 100 strike Earth’s surface every single second-yet their power is extraordinary. Lightning strikes during thunderstorms kill more Americans each year than either tornadoes or hurricanes.
