This cycle continues until the hail stone is too heavy to be lifted again. It then falls as hail. The stronger the updraft, the longer the hail develops, and the bigger the hail stone is when it falls. When caught in a hail storm, it is important to seek shelter immediately. Large falling balls of ice can be very dangerous.
Lightning is simply a giant spark.
It is a rush of electrons from one spot to another. The motion of rain, dust, and hail particles in updrafts and downdrafts within a cloud cause friction, thus building up positive and negative charges within the cloud. When the difference between positive and negative charges becomes too great, electrons rush to equalize the difference in charge. This rush is seen as lightning. Usually, a small flow of free electrons begins between the earth and clouds.