If struck, rods conduct electricity harmlessly into the ground. TV antennae should be grounded in the same way to prevent heavy damage. Thunderstorms are most frequent in Florida, the Southeast, the southern Rockies, and adjacent Great Plains. They occur chiefly in summer. Thunderstorms seldom occur on the west coast, where water-land contrasts in temperature are lowest.
Hurricanes are, in early stages, like giant thunderstorms with violent updrafts and downdrafts.