Fujita once described an microburst as a cold air balloon. This is illustrated in Figures 10.6 and 10.7 of the text. A super cell differs from the other members this group in that it is a single cell thunderstorm. In addition, this single cell has some rotation, but this is not a tornado. The most common form of lightning discharge takes place within a a cloud.
Lightning is more frequent over the land masses of the globe.
See page 258 of the text and Figure 10.21. The most widely accepted theory for the charging of thunderstorms is the Thermoelectric effect. See page 258 of the text for the details. For every mile there is a 5 second difference between seeing the flash and hearing the thunder. In the U.S. the highest frequency of lightning on a yearly basis is in Florida.