Thomas Mulligan investigates the scientific mysteries and misconceptions surrounding the powerful atmospheric discharges that ...

Inside a thunderstorm, warm air is forced upward in a strong updraft. As the air rises, ice and water particles collide inside the cloud, creating electrical charges. Those collisions build up ...

With summer approaching, the threat of thunderstorms is becoming more likely.

A spy plane retrofitted with research equipment has discovered some very intriguing things while observing thunderstorms in the tropics. According to a new paper published by the researchers behind ...

ORLANDO, Fla. – Lightning is one of nature’s most electrifying spectacles—literally. According to the National Weather Service, thunderstorms form when key ingredients—moisture, instability and ...

Scientists have known for decades how lightning travels once it forms, but the exact trigger inside a thundercloud stayed uncertain. A new study now offers the clearest explanation yet for how ...

In brief: The process that creates lightning has never been precisely understood, but scientists know that ice plays a crucial role. New research into developing cold electrical components may have ...

TUCSON - It's the first week of Monsoon 2020. Naturally, lightning storms may catch residents eyes when the storms begin to roll into town. First let's talk about how lightning forms. As a ...

In a small lab at Penn State University, lightning may be happening on a scale smaller than a deck of cards. Victor Pasko, a professor of electrical engineering, and his team have shown that under ...

NORFOLK, Va. — Lightning is a common occurrence in Virginia and North Carolina, but have you ever wondered how and why it forms? Think of the formation of lightning as if you are playing with magnets.