Lightning Information for Kids - What Causes Lightning?

Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the sky. 

During a storm, strong winds blow the tiny particles of dust and water around inside the cloud and make them collide with one another.

Normally, each particle in the cloud has what scientists call a positive and a negative electrical charge.
But when the particles collide with each other, these charges separate.
Most of the positively charged particles move to the top of the clod and most of the negatively charged particles move to the bottom.

What Causes Lightning?

The spark happens when the negative charges in a thundercloud meet the positive charges in another cloud, or on the ground.

Lightning strikes somewhere on the earth about 100 times every second!