Friction produces electric charges high in the atmosphere. This occurs when small particles such as water droplets and ice collide or rub against one another. Wind, among other factors, separates these charges and large electric forces develop between the ground and the air above. The atmospheric charges and fields have strong effects. Opposite charges attract and would get together if they could, but somewhat, they are prevented from doing so; they have no way of reaching one another, till, the forces become so strong that they blaze a path through the air. This is what is termed to as lightning and truly this is an electrical phenomenon.
A lightning strike is in fact a series of strokes, often about four. The movement of charge, called an electric current, brings together charges of opposite sign. Lightning is a flow of electric charges between two objects or regions, which can be two clouds or a cloud and the ground. For a short period of time, the energy produced by the current causes the temperature of the lightning bolt to reach thousands of degrees and it causes the molecules in the air to give off light. Lightning can be so hot that if it strikes the ground it can melt sandy soil, creating a glassy substance called fulgurite. Lightning can spark fires, shatter wood and damage or even destroy electrical apparatus in the environs. It can also kill.
Also read: Uses of Static Electricity
If flowing charges don’t find a convenient metallic path or are blocked in some way, they will take another path, and this path can unfortunately include a person’s body; that is why people should always avoid anything that can provide path for charges like pipes, water, or even the telephone during severe electrical storm. Lightning rods first developed by Benjamin Franklin, provide a safe and convenient path for the charges to flow. The lightning rod if correctly positioned (i.e. typically taller than its surrounding) offers the easiest pathway for electric charges. The lightning rod connects with the ground in a such a way that if it is struck, it carries the charges harmlessly away to distribute themselves in the earth, which is large enough to hold a great deal of them.
Also read: Coulomb’s Law and Electric Field
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