Introduction
The sound of thunder is created when lightning strikes. But do you ever wonder what exactly causes thunder and what happens during a thunderstorm? In this blog article, we will explore the science behind thunder and explain how this fearsome but awe-inspiring phenomenon works.

Lightning and Thunder: What’s the Difference?
The biggest difference between lightning and thunder, of course, is that lightning is visible and thunder is heard. Lightning is the bright, visible electrical discharge that forms a path between the sky and the ground, while thunder is the sound that follows a lightning strike. An electrical charge builds up in the atmosphere, causing a lightning bolt to form and shoot out from the sky. In its brief path, the lightning is superheating the air around it, and that sudden expansion of air creates a shockwave that is heard from far and wide as thunder.

How Thunderstorms Form
A thunderstorm begins with unstable and warm air that rises rapidly into the atmosphere. This warm air then cools, condenses and creates rainclouds. These rainclouds cause what is called a static charge, where some parts of the cloud are positively charged and other parts are negatively charged. The static charge creates an intense electric field between the clouds and the ground, and this electric field is the one that eventually causes lightning to be released from the clouds. Lightning occurs when the electric field becomes so strong that it causes a spark between clouds and the ground. The spark, also known as a “step leader,” travels through the air to the ground.

The Bottom Line
Thunder is the powerful sound that follows after lightning, created when the flash heats up the air surrounding it. Thunderstorms are ultimately the result of a static charge that builds up inside rainclouds, forming a powerful electric field between the clouds and the ground. When the electric field becomes too strong, it causes a spark of lightning to shoot down to the ground, followed by thunder.

Thunderstorms can be mighty and intimidating, but knowing what causes them and how they work can help us gain a newfound appreciation for this powerful atmospheric phenomenon.