SOUTHEASTERN STATES

Lightning near Biloxi, Mississippi Thunder and Lightning

Lightning is an electrical discharge between one part of a cloud and another, between two clouds, or between a cloud and earth. In a typical year, lightning strikes in the Southeast about a million times, and perhaps ten times as many flashes arc across the sky without reaching the ground. Thunder, the sound of air expanding explosively away from the intense heat of lightning bolts, is a common sound in late spring, summer, and early fall.

PHOTO: James Phillips/Silverlake