Take on the Lightning Trivia Quiz! From common knowledge to surprising fun facts

summer

Thunder is more frequent in summer because thunderclouds, made of warm and humid air, tend to develop during that season. For many of us, those heart-pounding sudden evening showers and thunder we remember from childhood also came in summer. There are many words about thunder used as seasonal terms in haiku: the clear, far-running winter thunder, the hazy glow of spring thunder in a misted sky, and more. It seems the Japanese have found a sense of elegance even in thunder.

electricity

Lightning is a phenomenon in which a large amount of electricity is generated in places like inside clouds and then suddenly flows through the air. In the process, flashes of lightning and thunder occur. Speaking of familiar electricity, in everyday life there’s static electricity, which often happens during the dry winter season. Thinking that the electricity we know well could gather in great amounts and turn into lightning… it feels a little scary, doesn’t it?

Because it was believed that lightning helps rice plants in the paddies grow

It is said that the word inazuma (lightning) originates from the phrase “the husband of the rice plant.” Since thunder brings rain, it may also have been seen as “a good partner for rice.” In the word inazuma, the element tsuma refers to a woman, symbolizing the source of life and, by extension, a bountiful harvest. The term likely arose from the complex interweaving of ancient people’s beliefs that linked thunder with good harvests.

about 30,000 degrees

When lightning occurs, the temperature in the air instantly reaches over about 30,000 degrees. The surface of the Sun is around 6,000 degrees, so it’s far hotter than that. If lightning strikes the ground and the current doesn’t flow properly, it can discharge into trees or buildings, generating heat and causing fires. Thinking about that, it feels like there aren’t many effective ways to deal with lightning, are there…?

A summer day with high humidity and rising temperatures

Lightning is more likely to occur when warm, moist air rises rapidly, causing strong convection within clouds. For that reason, lightning is especially common on hot, humid summer days. Although lightning can be seen in any season—such as winter lightning or spring thunder—the lightning during summer evening showers is the most impressive, isn’t it? When I was a child, I often hid my belly button during thunderstorms.

negative electron

When lightning occurs, the main electric charge flowing from the sky to the ground is electrons. Lightning happens when the electrons stored in a cloud suddenly flow down to the ground. Ordinary electric current is defined as flowing from the positive terminal to the negative terminal, but the flow of electrons is the opposite. There are different kinds of electricity, aren’t there? By the way, that rumbling sound you hear is the sound of lightning tearing through the air.

in the middle of a large field

In open areas like sports fields where there’s nothing taller than you, lightning is more likely to strike. In fact, there have been incidents where lightning struck a field and students practicing club activities were taken to the hospital. If you hear thunder in a place with nothing taller than you, take shelter inside a building immediately.