⚡ Lightning

Facts About Lightning: 30,000 Volts of Confused Physics

Lightning is hotter than the surface of the Sun, strikes Earth millions of times a day, and we still can't fully explain why thunderstorms become electrically charged.

30 FactsVerifiedA FactFacts Post

A lightning bolt heats the air it passes through to roughly 50,000 °F — about five times hotter than the Sun's surface. That rapid superheating is what creates the shockwave we hear as thunder.

Earth gets struck by lightning approximately 8 million times every 24 hours. Most strikes are cloud-to-cloud and we never see them. The ones that hit the ground tend to favor tall pointed objects — which is why 'lightning never strikes twice' is folklore, not science.

These verified facts cover what we know about lightning physics, the science of thunder, why airplanes survive direct hits, and the strange variations like ball lightning and red sprites.

Below: every fact from our verified archive that touches this topic. Each is independently sourced; click through to its dedicated page.

01
Science

Lightning can heat the air it passes through to temperatures hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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02
Nature

Lightning strikes Earth millions of times each day.

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03
Nature

Lightning can strike the same place more than once.

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04
Science

Lightning can travel from the ground up into clouds.

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05
Nature

Lightning can strike the same location multiple times.

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06
Nature

Lightning can strike more than once in the same place.

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07
Science

Volcanic eruptions can produce lightning within ash clouds.

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08
Science

Lightning is hotter than the Sun.

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09
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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10
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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11
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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12
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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13
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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14
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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15
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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16
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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17
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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18
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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19
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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20
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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21
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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22
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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23
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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24
Science

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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25
Science

Lightning is hotter than the surface of the Sun.

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26
Nature

Lightning strikes Earth about 100 times every second.

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27
Science

A single lightning bolt can contain enough energy to power a home for several days.

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28
Nature

A bolt of lightning is about one inch wide but can be miles long.

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29
Science

A bolt of lightning can reach temperatures hotter than 50,000°F.

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30
Science

Your lifetime odds of being struck by lightning are about 1 in 15,000.

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