13 Things You Might Not Know About Thunderstorms

Brian Donegan

Published: April 23, 2020

Lightning strikes the Empire State Building and other buildings during a thunderstorm in New York City.

Thunderstorms occur in many areas around the world, but there are a number of things you might not know about this weather phenomenon.

Here are 13 facts about thunderstorms, according to data from the National Weather Service and NASA.

1. An estimated 16 million thunderstorms occur on Earth every year.

2. At any given time, there are about 2,000 thunderstorms in progress.

3. Thunderstorms can produce damaging straight-line winds, hail, heavy rain, deadly lightning and tornadoes.

4. In the United States alone, an estimated 100,000 thunderstorms occur each year.

5. Of those 100,000 thunderstorms in the U.S., about 10% are classified as severe, producing either damaging winds or wind damage, large hail and/or tornadoes.

6. There are four main types of thunderstorms: single-cell, multi-cell cluster, multi-cell line (squall line) and supercell.

7. The average thunderstorm is 15 miles wide and lasts around 30 minutes.

8. Lightning forms due to the collision of ice crystals and water droplets within clouds creating positive and negative electric charges, which become separated by convective forces. A lightning bolt dispenses from the cloud when the charges become separated enough.

9. Some 25 million lightning strikes are recorded in the U.S. each year.

10. Most lightning in the U.S. occurs during the summer, but people can be struck any time of the year.

11. Lightning kills an average of 26 people a year in the U.S. (2010 to 2019 data) and injures hundreds more. Some survivors suffer lifelong neurological damage.

12. There is no safe place outdoors when you hear thunder, so you should move indoors immediately.

13. Other planets in our solar system also have lightning, including gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. There are also bright flashes in dust storms on Mars, which some scientists believe to be evidence of lightning.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.