Thunder is the sound waves produced by the explosive heating of the air in the lightning channel during the return. Most lightning strikes occur either at the beginning or end of a storm. The average lightning strike is six miles long. Lightning reaches 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, fours times as hot as the sun's surface. Lightning is the most dangerous and frequently encountered weather hazard people experience each year.
Lightning affects all regions.
Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, and Colorado have the most lightning deaths and injuries. Around the earth there are 100 lightning strikes per second, or 8,640,00 times a day. What is commonly referred to as heat lightning, is actually lightning too far away to be heard. However, the storm may be moving in your direction. There are approximately 100,000 thunderstorms in the U.S. each year.