Blikseminslagen

Blikseminslagen, commonly known as lightning strikes, are a natural electrical discharge phenomenon that occurs during thunderstorms. These discharges happen when a significant imbalance of electrical charge builds up between different parts of a cumulonimbus cloud, or between a cloud and the ground. This charge separation is typically caused by collisions between ice crystals and water droplets within the turbulent atmosphere of the storm cloud.

When the electrical potential difference becomes sufficiently large, the insulating capacity of the air breaks down, allowing a massive flow of electrical current. This rapid flow of electricity creates intense heat, causing the air to expand explosively and produce a loud sound known as thunder. The visible flash of light, the lightning itself, is a result of the superheated air emitting electromagnetic radiation.

Lightning strikes can occur within a cloud (intra-cloud lightning), between two clouds (cloud-to-cloud lightning), or between a cloud and the ground (cloud-to-ground lightning). Cloud-to-ground strikes are the most dangerous to humans and property. They can cause fires, structural damage, and severe injury or death to living beings that are struck or in close proximity to a strike. The intensity and duration of a lightning strike vary considerably, but they are always powerful events.