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Three Forms of Kinetic Energy From Lightning

Lightning is one of the most common yet most spectacular displays of nature. It is the manifestation of a difference in charge between a large, energetic cloud and the ground, or between one cloud and another. When the charge difference becomes too great, an enormous stroke of electricity arcs through the atmosphere, releasing several forms of kinetic energy.

Effects of Lightning
- Lightning obviously carries a great deal of energy. Not only is it capable of leaping miles through the air in an instant, it carries a punch once it arrives. Lightning is capable of starting fires, smashing trees to bits, and killing people and large animals instantly. It also releases a great deal of light and sound, capable of being seen and heard from long distances.
Heat
- The first step in a stroke of lightning is the creation of an ionized channel between the two interacting bodies. This is accomplished by a heavy concentration of charge known as a "leader," which heats the air surrounding it to break down the electron bonds of the molecules within the channel, clearing the way for the next step.
Electricity
- Once the channel between the two interacting bodies is ionized by the leader, electrons flood into it in order to balance the charge difference. The result is an arc of electricity carrying tens of thousands of amps. This is enough to heat the surrounding air to more than 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, more than four times hotter than the surface of the sun.
Sound
- The intense heat causes the air to expand rapidly. This extreme expansion causes shock waves to ripple out into the surrounding atmosphere. The energies involved are so great that the shock waves are actually supersonic when they are generated, slowing to a pitch humans can hear once the waves have propagated several meters from the initial stroke. These shock waves form the characteristic claps and rumbles of thunder that accompany lightning bolts.

Nature