Thunderstorms and Lightning

Lightning is basically the precursor of an electrical discharge -- positively-charged particles neutralizing negatively-charged in a violent manner. Before the charges neutralize, they travel a long distance through a high resistance (moist air). The heat of the current through the high resistance is so intense that the resulting radiation can be visible as the light in the night sky. Moving charges is electricity.

Yes, lightning strikes can hit humans, but this is rare. When a person is struck by lightning, it can cause severe injuries such as cardiac arrest, burns, and neurological damage. It is important to take precautions when outdoors during storms to reduce the risk of being struck by lightning.

yes, there is such a thing as razor hail. Not very well known, but there is, and numerous people have died from it. Usually happens during the winter in ice storms, but most people dont go out, so it is not known to them.

On average, cloud-to-ground lightning strikes the Earth about 25 million times per year. The frequency can vary based on geographical location and weather conditions.

a lot. About 60,000 timesaminutes over the whole earth

An intense thunderstorm typically has a cold cloud top due to the strong updrafts that lift warmer air rapidly into the upper atmosphere where it cools and condenses to form the towering cumulonimbus clouds associated with thunderstorms.

Because electric currents could shock you.

Addition: Lightning is attracted to conductive objects such as metal, especially if the conductive object is connected to the ground where the electricity can discharge or complete its circuit. We are made of 90% water, and water is one of the most conductive elements in the world.

In the case of lightning from a thunderstorm, touching the metal or any other conductive and connected object, it can be electrically charged or very hot. You could burn yourself or become part of the electrical current.

The US hail season typically occurs during the spring and summer months, with peak activity from April to September. Hailstorms are more common in the central United States, known as Tornado Alley, where warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico collides with cold air from the north, creating ideal conditions for severe thunderstorms and hail.

Lightning can have various impacts, including causing wildfires, damaging buildings, injuring people or animals, and disrupting power supplies and communication networks. It can also lead to forest destruction and soil erosion.

Inside a cumulonimbus cloud, water droplets and ice particles coexist at different altitudes due to varying temperatures. As the particles collide and merge, they grow in size. Rain forms when the particles become heavy enough to fall. Hail forms when strong updrafts lift the particles back up into colder regions where they accumulate more ice layers before eventually becoming heavy enough to fall as hailstones.

The main purpose of these glass balls is to provide evidence of a lightning strike by shattering or falling off. If after a storm a ball is discovered missing or broken, the property owner should then check the building, rod, and grounding wire for damage.

Sheep are not specifically prone to being struck by lightning. However, the behavior of sheep, such as huddling together in open fields during storms, can make them more vulnerable to lightning strikes if they are the tallest objects in the area.

While hailstorms can be dangerous and cause injuries, deaths directly attributed to hail are rare. Most injuries and deaths resulting from hailstorms occur as a result of accidents caused by slippery roads or falling debris during severe weather events.

Cumulonimbus clouds are tall, dense clouds that produce thunderstorms. They are characterized by their large vertical extent and can reach heights of about 50,000 feet or more. These clouds often bring heavy rain, lightning, hail, and strong winds.

chick hicks (the green race car with lots of stickers)

Depends upon where you are and what the weather and fuel conditions are.

For example, in the southwestern part of the USA, an average of 60 to 70 percent of the wildfires are started by lightning.

However, as a global average, only about 8 percent of the wildfires are caused by natural events.

Lightning is an electrical charge and Human being are sensitive to electrical stimulants at very low levels in their nervous system. in the first place introducing an electrical overcharge the size of a lightning charge overloads the system and can under the right circumstances cause damage and painful muscular spasm that can kill. the sheer volume of electricity can also simply heat and damage living tissue as it is not designed to withstand this force in the way a light bulb filament does.

Cumulonimbus clouds form when the atmosphere is unstable. One factor in an unstable atmosphere is a rapid temperature drop with increasing height. When the sun can shine directly on the ground it heats the lowest part of the atmosphere, which can lead to instability. Conversely, clouds block some of the sun's light from reaching the ground and tend to make the atmosphere more stable, which makes it harder for cumulonimbus clouds to form.

Lightning is a natural phenomenon caused by electrical discharge in the atmosphere and is not considered a renewable or non-renewable resource. It is a transient event that occurs due to specific conditions in the atmosphere and is not something that can be harnessed or depleted like traditional energy sources.

The process is called nitrogen fixation. Bacteria in the soil convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, which plants can then use as a nutrient. Lightning can also contribute to this process by converting nitrogen gas into nitrates that can be absorbed by plants.

The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second, while the speed of sound is about 750 miles per hour. When you see a flash of lightning, the light gets to you in, for all practical purposes, "no time at all". But the sound of the thunder takes about 6 seconds per mile.

So if the average time between the lightning and the thunder is increasing, that tells us that the average distance to the storm is also increasing.

A black rainstorm is a severe weather event characterized by heavy rainfall occurring in a short period, leading to flooding and reduced visibility. The term "black rain" generally refers to the intensity of the rainfall rather than the color of the precipitation.

True.

If the prehung entry door is closed completely, and there is no screen in the storm door, then the storm door will not close and latch on its' own because there is an air cushion that is created between the 2 doors.

Essentially, the storm door is closing faster than the air can escape between the 2 doors, which means eventually the air pressure built up will be come stronger than the doors momentum in closing, so this air pressure will stop the door before it has a chance to close completely.

Hail is more common in summer because warmer temperatures can lead to stronger updrafts in thunderstorms, allowing hailstones to grow larger before falling to the ground. In winter, the colder atmosphere may not support the same level of energy needed for hailstone formation.

You must change the direction of the air flow, This is done by converting the downward pressure upward. You either need to use a forced air fan to change direction of the downdraft or to divert the air that normally flows downward into an upward motion by causing the downward air to be diverted into upward air chambers forcing the air upward. WindKat cowls has come up with a pretty good idea for solving this problem with chimneys. They say it is the most anti-downdraft cowl on the market. You can find them on the Web.