The name hurricane comes from the mighty storm god Hurikan. In the eastern hemisphere the same storm as the hurricane is called a typhoon. One day of a hurricane releases more energy than the total amount of electricity the United States uses in a year. People are still amazed by a hurricane's size and power even though they have been around for over 500 years now. The Greatest Storm on Earth Hurricane Thunder and Lightning Lightning, a flash of light in the sky, is caused by an electric current.
Currents can flow through one or more clouds and the earth.
There are different kinds of lightning. There is one kind that is called a forked, zigzag, or chain lightning. This kind flows in a winding path. The next type is the sheet lightning. It has no particular form.