To obtain the distance in miles of a lightning bolt, count the number of seconds between flash and thunder, then divide by five. The term is still used as a popular term for a lightning discharge accompanied by thunder. The popular term for the huge cloud tower, especially when viewed from a distance, of a cumulonimbus cloud, the cloud which produces thunderstorms. Rain, hail and high winds may or may not occur. About 40,000 thunderstorms occur each day on the planet, and most are in equatorial regions.
Thunderstorms occur most frequently over land, but do occur over the oceans as well.
A single thunderstorm can release 125 million gallons of water and discharge enough heat to supply the entire United States with electric power for 15 minutes. A large hurricane will multiply those values an incredible 12,000 times. Worldwide, about 2,000 thunderstorms are occurring at any given moment. About 100,000 thunderstorms occur per year in the United States, and 10 percent of them are severe. Its cause has nothing to do with tides.