Flash – Boom, Lightning and Thunder!

From a respectable distance, we all enjoy watching an active thunderstorm and the lightning show. When it’s close, hopefully we’re practicing common sense and sheltering ourselves from what could be a deadly lightning strike. It’s spectacular stuff; lightning flashes, then we hear the crackling and boom sound that accompanies lightning. I’m sure we have all seen some really awesome storms with lightning displays that are spell binding.

Most folks generally know what lightning is, I think. Well, let’s delve deeper into what it is and how it works. First, here’s a practical definition: a large electrical spark that occurs between the cloud and ground, between two clouds, within a single cloud, or between the cloud and the air. The starting point is in a storm cloud. The hot surface of Earth heats the air above it. That warm air rises, storm clouds expand and get larger in sizes. The temperature inside these large storm clouds, especially at the top, is below freezing. The vapor water at that location freezes into ice. As warm air rapidly rises inside the cloud the small ice particles are accelerated, bumping into each other.

Cold air at the top of the cloud is moving rapidly down or sinking. All those fast-moving small ice particles generate a massive electrical charge. In the cloud, the positive charged particles are at the top and negative charged particles at the bottom. As the cloud fills with this massive electrical charge, the build-up is finally released or discharged as lightning. Lightning can be seen striking the ground or objects on the ground. Lightning can also be discharged from cloud to cloud or from a cloud into the air.

With the release of that massive discharge of electricity, there is noise. When a bolt of lightning is finally released, the air temperature directly near it is instantly heated. The air temperature around that flash of lightning is around 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That instantly heated air promptly expands; this air expansion causes the loud boom we call thunder. From a safety point of view, if you can hear it, take shelter. Lightning strikes can extend over 10 miles from a storm cloud. Also, the temperature of the actual bolt of lightning can be over 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. A side note for those who like records: August 13, 2019, the most northerly lightning strike occurred. It was 32 miles from the North Pole.

Here’s the weather data for the month of May. Again, all data is from my home weather station. The high temperature was 91.0˚F on the 29th, the low was 32.8˚F on the 4th and the mean for the month was 58.8˚F. The all-time high was 100˚F in 1986, while the all-time low was 27˚F in 1954, and the all-time mean is 58.4˚F. Precipitation for the month was 1.17 inches. The all-time maximum was 5.52 inches in 1948, and the all-time minimum was 0.04 inches in 1938. The all-time mean is 1.15 inches.

Before we close, here is what the researchers at the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) are saying we might experience for the remainder of summer: “The CPC June-July-August (JJA) seasonal temperature outlook gives increased chances of above normal temperatures statewide. South-Central Washington has higher chances of above normal temperatures than the rest of the state. For example, Yakima has a 59% chance of above normal temperatures while Everett has a 55% chance. The summer precipitation outlook gives increased chances of below normal precipitation statewide. Coastal areas see only a slight increased chance of below normal precipitation at 33 to 40%.”