Lightning discharges represent one of nature’s most dramatic electrical phenomena, providing a dynamic window into the complex interplay between atmospheric electrical fields and discharge processes.

Scientists have revealed a hidden trigger of lightning that could resolve a centuries-old weather mystery. Earth is struck by some 44 bolts of lightning each second, on average. Despite this, ...

The powerful megaflash extended from eastern Texas to Kansas City in Missouri Brian Anthony Hernandez, who has nearly 20 years of journalism experience, joined PEOPLE as a writer-editor in 2023. Brian ...

Scientists have confirmed a new world record for the longest lightning flash in a thunderstorm complex, which hit the Great Plains 8 years ago this fall. The so-called megaflash lightning extended a ...

Talk about a bolt from the blue. Scientists July 31 announced the discovery of the world's longest lightning flash ever detected – a whopping 515-mile-long bolt that blasted across central U.S. skies ...

What happens right before two arcs of lightning smash into each other? An invisible blast of radiation a million times more energetic than a lightning discharge is unleashed in the form of gamma rays, ...

The salad on your plate may owe its existence to a thunderstorm. Many people are wary of lightning as a natural phenomenon. A ...

Engineers across many disciplines are aware of and concerned with lightning—and for good reasons. A lightning strike can cause significant structural damage, house and forest fires, and severe ...

🛍️ Amazon Prime Day is live. See the best deals HERE. 🛍️ By Laura Baisas Published Aug 8, 2025 9:00 AM EDT CREDIT: Photo by Liu Wei/Xinhua via Getty Images. Get the Popular Science daily ...

DALLAS — A lightning flash from East Texas back in October 2017 has been certified as the longest single lightning flash in recorded history, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).