Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions

in the atmosphere or ground temporarily equalize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of
as much as one gigajoule of energy. This discharge may produce a wide range of electromagnetic
radiation, from very hot plasma created by the rapid movement of electrons to brilliant flashes of
visible light in the form of black-body radiation. Lightning causes thunder, a sound from the shock
wave which develops as gases in the vicinity of the discharge experience a sudden increase in
pressure. Lightning occurs commonly during thunderstorms and other types of energetic weather
systems, but volcanic lightning can also occur during volcanic eruptions.

The three main kinds of lightning are distinguished by where they occur: either inside a single
thundercloud, between two different clouds, or between a cloud and the ground. Many other
observational variants are recognized, including "heat lightning", which can be seen from a great
distance but not heard; dry lightning, which can cause forest fires; and ball lightning, which is rarely
observed scientifically.

Humans have deified lightning for millennia. Idiomatic expressions derived from lightning, such as
the English expression "bolt from the blue", are common across languages.

Electrification

The main charging area in a thunderstorm occurs in the central part of the storm where the air is
moving upward rapidly (updraft) and temperatures range from −15 to −25 °C (5 to −13 °F).

The details of the charging process are still being studied by scientists, but there is general
agreement on some of the basic concepts of thunderstorm electrification. The main charging area in
a thunderstorm occurs in the central part of the storm where air is moving upward rapidly (updraft)
and temperatures range from −15 to −25 °C (5 to −13 °F). In that area, the combination of
temperature and rapid upward air movement produces a mixture of super-cooled cloud droplets
(small water droplets below freezing), small ice crystals, and graupel (soft hail). The updraft carries
the super-cooled cloud droplets and very small ice crystals upward. At the same time, the graupel,
which is considerably larger and denser, tends to fall or be suspended in the rising air.

When the rising ice crystals collide with graupel, the ice crystals become positively charged and the
graupel becomes negatively charged.

The differences in the movement of the precipitation cause collisions to occur. When the rising ice
crystals collide with graupel, the ice crystals become positively charged and the graupel becomes
negatively charged. The updraft carries the positively charged ice crystals upward toward the top of
the storm cloud. The larger and denser graupel is either suspended in the middle of the
thunderstorm cloud or falls toward the lower part of the storm.
The upper part of the thunderstorm cloud becomes positively charged while the middle to the lower
part of the thunderstorm cloud becomes negatively charged.

The result is that the upper part of the thunderstorm cloud becomes positively charged while the
middle to lower part of the thunderstorm cloud becomes negatively charged.

The upward motions within the storm and winds at higher levels in the atmosphere tend to cause the
small ice crystals (and positive charge) in the upper part of the thunderstorm cloud to spread out
horizontally some distance from the thunderstorm cloud base. This part of the thunderstorm cloud is
called the anvil. While this is the main charging process for the thunderstorm cloud, some of these
charges can be redistributed by air movements within the storm (updrafts and downdrafts). In
addition, there is a small but important positive charge buildup near the bottom of the thunderstorm
cloud due to the precipitation and warmer temperatures.