How does thunder and lightening happen and why?

Question

What causes thunder and lightening, and what actually is it?

We had a huge storm last night and i loved just sitting by the window watching it cos it amazed me, just wish i knew more about it.

Many thanks

Cat

x x

Answer 1

Lightning is caused by a sudden release of electrical energy

in a flash of current from the clouds to the ground (or sometimes

between the clouds in the air).  This electrical energy is

caused by the same kind of interactions that result in

static electricity between you and your clothes, and lightning

is just like those little sparks you sometimes see when you

touch a door k**b on a dry day.  Except much bigger! Thunder

is the sound made by the lightning as it sends lots of energy

into that little path through the air.