1. Noah Hess

2.  Many smaller clouds join together to create a giant cloud. This is the beginning of the thunderstorm.

3. An electrical charge that occurs during thunderstorms. Lightning can cause forest fires and even death. This bolt heats the air and thunder occurs

4.  As lightning heats the air up to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit thunder explodes and makes a loud noise. The plasma from the lightning is heated and it causes it to expand out. This movement is what starts a shock-wave. The myth is that the clouds were colliding.

5.  Some thunderstorms can set forests on fire or even houses. The winds can knock out power.  By getting struck by lightning you suffer brain damage, heart failure, and even death.  Flash flooding can also occur.

6.  Thunderstorms can bring heavy precipitation, hail, floods, lightning, and thunder.

7.  1. Keep a storm safety kit  2. Stay inside  3. Use flashlights instead of candles  4. call the power company  5. unplug big appliances  6. don’t open the refrigerator unless you must  7. don’t play near generators or heaters  8. don’t go near damaged power lines  9. if the power goes out don’t use gas appliances to keep warm  10. If it is a bad storm go to a safe place and stay there

8.  Thunderstorms mostly occur in the central and southern states  Florida is the most likely one to be hit

9.  Sea Glass is glass that has been struck by lightning. Since lightning is so hot the sand would become glass.

10.  At any given moment, nearly 1,800 thunderstorms are in progress over the surface of the earth.  On average, the United States gets 100,000 thunderstorms each year.  Approximately 1,000 tornadoes develop from these storms.  Large hail results in nearly $1 billion in damage to property and crops.  The power of lightning's electrical charge and intense heat can electrocute on contact, split trees, ignite fires and cause electrical failures.  More deaths from lightning occur on the East Coast. More forest fires are started in the West as the lightning season coincides with the dry season there.  Approximately 10,000 forest fires are started each year by lightning Approximately $100 million in annual losses result from forest and building fires caused by lightning. Straight-line winds exceeding 100 mph are responsible for most thunderstorm damage