⚡ Why Does Lightning Happen?

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☁️ What is lightning?

Lightning is a big electric spark in the sky that happens during storms 🌩️.

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⚡ How lightning is formed (step by step)

1️⃣ Storm clouds grow

• Big storm clouds (called cumulonimbus) form
• Inside them, ice, water drops, and air move fast

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2️⃣ Electric charges build up

• Ice and water bump into each other
• This creates electric charges
  • Top of cloud → positive (+)
  • Bottom of cloud → negative (–)

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3️⃣ Earth gets charged too

• The negative charge in the cloud pushes
  • Positive charge to build up on the ground
• Trees, buildings, and people become slightly charged ⚡

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4️⃣ The big spark! ⚡

• When the charge becomes too strong
• Electricity jumps:
  • Cloud → cloud
  • Cloud → ground

👉 This bright flash is lightning

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🔊 Why do we hear thunder?

• Lightning heats air very fast
• Hot air expands suddenly
• This makes a loud BOOM called thunder

💡 You see lightning first because light travels faster than sound

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🌧️ Types of lightning

• Cloud to cloud ☁️⚡☁️
• Cloud to ground 🌩️⬇️🌍
• Inside the cloud

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🧠 Easy way to remember

Lightning is nature’s way of releasing built-up electricity

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⚠️ Safety tips for kids

• Go indoors during storms 🏠
• Stay away from trees 🌳
• Don’t use metal objects outside

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🌟 Fun facts

• Lightning is hotter than the Sun’s surface ☀️
• Earth gets about 100 lightning strikes every second
• Some lightning travels faster than a race car

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📌 One-line summary

Lightning happens when electric charges in storm clouds suddenly jump as a giant spark.

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