2. The Shocking Temperature of a Lightning Bolt
Although we usually link great heat with the sun or volcanic eruptions, lightning generates temperatures either matching or even higher than these strong sources. The air around a single lightning bolt may get five times hotter than the sun’s surface. We are discussing temperatures perhaps surpassing 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit (27,760 degrees Celsius!).
The tremendous electrical current passing through the air causes this great heat. The highly heated air molecules caused by the moving electricity expand explosively. The thunder we hear following a lightning strike results from this expansion.
Lightning generates such strong heat that it can quickly evaporate water on the ground and in the air. Even fulgurites, glass-like tubes produced from melted and resolidified sand particles, can result from lightning striking sand or dirt. Physical proof of the amazing temperatures these electrical discharges generate comes from these “lightning fossils”.