Rain - Air masses acquire moisture on passing over warm bodies of water, or over wet land surfaces. The moisture, or water vapor, is carried upward into the air mass by turbulence and convection (see Heat Transfer). The lifting required to cool and condense this water vapor results from several processes, and study of these processes provides a key for understanding the distribution of rainfall in various parts of the world..
Lightning - How rain clouds become charged is not fully understood, but most rain clouds are negatively charged at the base and positively charged at the top. The various hypotheses that explain how the polarization occurs may be divided into two categories: those that require ice and those that do not. Most meteorologists believe, however, that ice is a necessary factor, because lightning is not usually observed until ice has formed in the upper layers of thunderclouds. Experiments have shown that when dilute solutions of water are frozen the ice gains a negative charge but the water retains a positive charge. If, after freezing has started, rising air tears small droplets of water away from the frozen particles, the droplets are concentrated in the upper part of the cloud and the larger ice particles fall toward the base. On the other hand, experiments have also shown that large, swiftly falling drops of water become negatively charged whereas small, slowly falling drops become positively charged. The polarization of a thundercloud may thus be due to the rates at which large and small raindrops fall. However formed, the negative charge at the base of the cloud induces a positive charge on the earth beneath it, which acts as the second plate of a huge capacitor. When the electrical potential between two clouds or between a cloud and the earth reaches a sufficiently high value—about 10,000 volts (V) per centimeter (cm) or about 25,000 V/in. (a volt is a measure of electrical potential; for comparison, the potential supplied by an ordinary electrical outlet in the United States is 110 V)—the air becomes ionized along a narrow path and a lightning flash results. Many meteorologists believe that this is how a negative charge is carried to the ground and the total negative charge of the surface of the earth is maintained..A new theory, suggesting that the electrical polarization in a thundercloud may cause precipitation rather than be a consequence of it, postulates that the electrical potential existing between the ionosphere—the highest layer of the atmosphere—and the earth initiates the polarization in a thundercloud. According to this theory, the upward flow of warm air through a thundercloud carries with it positively charged particles. These accumulate at the top of the cloud and attract negative charges from the ionosphere. The negative charges are carried to the base of the cloud by powerful downdrafts at the periphery of the cloud, thus preventing oppositely charged particles from neutralizing each other. Perhaps 90 percent of all lightning discharges, known as bolts or strokes, from cloud to ground are negative; the remainder are positive flashes. Rarely, strokes may move from ground to cloud, particularly from mountain peaks and from tall objects such as radio towers.
Thunder - As the lightning travels through the air, it heats the air to temperatures as high as 30,000° C (54,000° F). Thunder, the loud noise that accompanies lightning, results from the explosive expansion of the air as it is heated.
2007-06-05 01:35:30
·
answer #1
·
answered by trey98607 7
·
1⤊
0⤋
rain is from precepetition of water to clouds and the clouds get too heavy and water falls, lightning is somehting i have no clue about, and obviously thunder is the effect of lightning hitting something and creating noise
2007-06-04 22:53:51
·
answer #2
·
answered by Anonymous
·
0⤊
0⤋
"Kansas", the land of Ah's. have you ever stood interior the process an open container while the climate are raging and witnessed the utter capacity of two twister's, coming near the two from the left and the main suitable of you?. The thunder rumbling, the lightening flashing, the clouds churning, however the wind and the rain have become stilled and have subsided. caught interior the attention of the hurricane. The utter splendor of what guy calls mom nature. it incredibly is been stated that she would be able to heal and he or she would be able to destroy, at her entertainment. the capacity at the back of such tension is remarkable. yet she bows while confronted via the single that created her. Her capacity is below dominion via that "One" which guy calls, "The suited Being". To adventure this, with hands raised in prayer and notice the consequent hurricane section and dissolve is a maximum proper and humbling adventure. Having spent it sluggish with "Indian drugs men", I knew that such issues have been achievable, from the thoughts introduced forward via hundreds of years of oral custom, interior the community American Indian lifestyle. we live in an age while many human beings are crammed with doubt. "faith" is the only concern that could eliminate mans doubt. the climate (rain..etc) you have pronounced above are fullfilling their accountability. that's time for guy to fulfill his long awaited accountability, and be conscious the climate carry out their exact initiatives. *not an answer on your question, yet this answer surfaced from interior of my coronary heart. thank you for the question, and the thoughts of situations previous! *(Shine on my buddy, Mr solar, I relish the warmth temperature.) "Peace be continually with you."
2016-12-18 14:21:13
·
answer #3
·
answered by bremmer 4
·
0⤊
0⤋
lightning-caused by the charge's in the clouds
thunder-the air is heated by the lightning the air expends and after it cools down the air comes back to his original form creating a loud sound.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunder
2007-06-04 23:13:16
·
answer #4
·
answered by Anonymous
·
0⤊
0⤋
lightnining is formed when there is opposite charges beteween usually from cloud to ground but sometimes cloud to cloud or cloud to air. FYI... electricity forms when there is postive and negative charge.
2007-06-04 23:11:48
·
answer #5
·
answered by geometry1012003 1
·
0⤊
0⤋
Its all to do with the sea, apart from Lightings, they come from electrical shops
2007-06-04 22:47:49
·
answer #6
·
answered by Anonymous
·
0⤊
1⤋