Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Lightning is as beautiful as it is deadly. It also passes gas. Well ...

Physicists have long known how lightning ends, in a blinding discharge that can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun, but the precise trigger that starts a bolt inside a cloud has remained ...

We have heard the saying: 'April showers brings May flowers.' This proverb leaves out the critical role of lightning. Lightning is often seen as a destructive force, sparking wildfires and causing ...

When thunder rumbles in the distance, there's a quick and simple way to figure out how close the lightning actually struck based on the speed of sound. After you see a flash of lightning, start ...

Will Jones from Smithfield, North Carolina, sent me the above picture during Saturday evening's storms. Growing up, I always heard this called "heat lightning." Other WRAL Top Stories It wasn't until ...