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📘 How lightning forms in a storm

Follow charge separation, electric fields, stepped leaders, streamers, and return strokes.

lessons

~10 min

to learn

🔬 Science

subject

Adults

level

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What you’ll learn

Ice collisions
Electric field
Stepped leader
Upward streamer
Return stroke
Cloud flashes
Charge replenishment
Ground effects
Detection
Safety

Questions this course answers

Which particles help separate charge in a thunderstorm?

Collisions among ice, supercooled droplets, and graupel help create charge regions.

What is a stepped leader?

The leader probes a path before the main current surge.

What creates the brilliant visible flash?

The return stroke carries a large current and heats the channel.

Why can lightning strike tall objects?

Field concentration helps upward streamers connect with a leader.

What is the safest response when thunder is heard?

Enclosure reduces exposure to current paths and nearby strikes.

Grounded in trusted sources

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Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.

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