Lightning
Topic: Air Masses, Fronts, Cyclones and Thunderstorms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Lightning is a sudden electric spark inside a thundercloud, or between the cloud and the ground. Inside a tall cumulonimbus cloud (a thick, towering rain cloud), strong rising air builds up electric charge. When the charge becomes too large, it is released as a bright flash. In India, lightning kills more people than any other natural hazard: about 2,000–3,000 a year in NCRB data (National Crime Records Bureau, which records accidental deaths). Most victims are farmers working in open fields. IITM's Damini app warns users when lightning strikes nearby.
Example
Most lightning deaths in India happen in Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Here many farmers work in open fields during the stormy pre-monsoon and monsoon months.
Don't confuse with
- Thunder: thunder is the sound of lightning. The flash heats the air so fast that the air bursts outward with a loud bang. Lightning is the electric discharge itself.