Best Lightning Strikes trivia quiz questions

Discover the powerful and dangerous lightning strikes that occur around the world and how to stay safe.

What is a lightning rod?
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A metal rod attached to a building or other structure that is designed to protect it from lightning strikes
What is a thunderbolt?
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Another name for lightning
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a hissing sound?
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Hissing lightning
What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs within a volcanic plume?
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Volcanic lightning
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a red or pink glow?
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Sprites
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a high-pitched whistling sound?
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Whistler lightning
What is lightning?
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A sudden electrostatic discharge that occurs during a thunderstorm
What is the name for a lightning bolt that jumps from the ground to a cloud?
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Positive cloud-to-ground lightning
What is a grounding wire?
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A wire that connects electronic devices to the earth to prevent damage from lightning strikes
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash on the horizon?
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Heat lightning
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a rumble of thunder?
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Cloud-to-ground lightning
What is the name for a lightning bolt that illuminates the sky but doesn't produce thunder?
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Sheet lightning
What is the average length of a lightning bolt?
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5 kilometers (3.1 miles)
What is a thunderstorm watch?
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A watch issued by the National Weather Service when conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms
What is the name for a lightning bolt that jumps from one cloud to another?
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Inter-cloud lightning
What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs within a hurricane?
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Hurricane lightning
What is the speed of lightning?
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224,000 mph
What is a thunder boomer?
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Another name for a thunderstorm
Which country has the highest density of lightning strikes per square kilometer?
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Rwanda
What is a stepped leader?
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An invisible channel of ionized air that extends from a cloud towards the ground during a lightning strike
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a cracking sound like a whip?
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Whip lightning
What percentage of lightning strikes are fatal to humans?
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10%
What is a thunderhead?
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Another name for a cumulonimbus cloud
What is the name for a lightning strike that appears to flicker or shimmer?
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Ribbon lightning
What is a thunder mug?
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A chamber pot
What is a return stroke?
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The bright flash of light that we see when lightning strikes
What is a positive lightning strike?
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A type of lightning that originates from the top of a storm cloud and is much stronger than a typical negative lightning strike
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash in the sky?
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Anvil crawler
What is heat lightning?
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A term used to describe lightning that is too far away to hear the thunder
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a loud crackling sound?
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Crackling lightning
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a web-like pattern across the sky?
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Spider lightning
What is ball lightning?
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A rare phenomenon where a ball of light appears during a thunderstorm
What is a thunderstorm warning?
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A warning issued by the National Weather Service when a thunderstorm is expected to produce damaging winds, hail, or tornadoes
What is the longest recorded distance covered by a single lightning bolt?
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321 kilometers (199.5 miles)
What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs without any precipitation?
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Dry lightning
How far can lightning travel horizontally before striking the ground?
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16 kilometers (10 miles)
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a deep booming sound?
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Thunderbolt
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a zigzag line?
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Streak lightning
What causes lightning to strike?
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The buildup and discharge of electrical energy in the atmosphere
How long does an average lightning bolt last?
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0.2 seconds
What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs within a snowstorm?
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Thundersnow
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a ribbon-like shape?
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Ribbon lightning
What is a thunderbolt and lightning very, very frightening according to Queen?
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Galileo
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a low rumbling sound?
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Rolling thunder
What is the name for a lightning bolt that jumps from a cloud to the ground?
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Negative cloud-to-ground lightning
What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs between two separate clouds?
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Intercloud lightning
What is 'positive lightning'?
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Lightning that originates from the positively charged upper regions of a thunderstorm
What is the name for a lightning bolt that splits into two or more branches?
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Forked lightning
What is the most common type of lightning?
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Negative cloud-to-ground lightning
What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs between two separate thunderstorms?
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Bolt from the blue
What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs between the ground and a cloud?
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Cloud-to-ground lightning
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a series of flashes along a straight line?
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Chain lightning
What is a thundercloud?
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A type of cloud that produces thunder and lightning
What is sheet lightning?
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A type of lightning that illuminates an entire cloud
What is the main component of the Earth's atmosphere that allows lightning to occur?
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Nitrogen
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears during a storm but is too far away to hear?
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Heat lightning
What is a Faraday cage?
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A container made of conductive material that blocks electromagnetic fields, including those generated by lightning strikes
What is a lightning bolt emoji?
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🌩️
What causes thunder after a lightning strike?
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The rapid heating and cooling of air around the lightning bolt
What is a thunder shower?
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A brief, intense thunderstorm
What is a thunderbird?
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A legendary creature in Native American mythology that is said to control thunder and lightning
What is the temperature of a lightning bolt?
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30,000 Kelvin
How hot can lightning get?
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30,000 kelvins (53,540 degrees Fahrenheit)
What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs between two different parts of the same cloud?
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Spider lightning
What color is lightning?
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White
What is rocket lightning?
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A type of lightning that shoots upwards from tall objects such as buildings or trees
What is the average width of a lightning bolt?
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2-3 centimeters
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash with no thunder?
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Silent lightning
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a buzzing sound?
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Buzzing lightning
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a purple-pink discharge?
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Elves
What is a thunder roll?
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A long, sustained rumble of thunder
What is the name for a lightning bolt that strikes the same place repeatedly?
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A hot spot
What is the distance at which you can hear thunder?
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10 miles
What is the name for a lightning strike that appears to have no branches?
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Beaded lightning
What is the name for a lightning bolt that stays within a cloud?
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Intra-cloud lightning
What is the primary cause of lightning?
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Separation of electric charges in clouds
What is a fulgurite?
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A glassy rock formed by lightning striking sand or soil
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a blue jet?
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Blue jets
What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a glowing ball?
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Ball lightning
What is a surge protector?
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A device that protects electronic devices from power surges caused by lightning strikes
What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs within a dust storm?
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Dust devil lightning
What is a thunderclap?
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The sound that thunder makes
What is the name of the scale used to classify lightning strikes based on their intensity?
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The Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) scale
What is the speed of a lightning bolt?
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220,000 km/h (140,000 mph)
What is a lightning detector?
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A device that detects the presence and location of lightning strikes
What is the most common color of lightning?
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White
What is a lightning map?
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A map that shows the location and frequency of lightning strikes in a particular area
What is the difference between cloud-to-ground lightning and intra-cloud lightning?
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Cloud-to-ground lightning travels from the cloud to the ground, while intra-cloud lightning stays within the cloud
What is a lightning safety plan?
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A plan that outlines what to do in the event of a thunderstorm or lightning strike
What is the average number of people killed by lightning each year worldwide?
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2,000
What is the duration of an average lightning flash?
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0.2 seconds
What is the name for a series of lightning strikes that occur in rapid succession?
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Staccato lightning
Which state in the United States experiences the most lightning strikes annually?
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Florida
What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs within a forest fire?
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Firebolt
What type of cloud is most commonly associated with lightning?
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Cumulonimbus
What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs within a tornado?
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Tornado lightning
What is the name for a lightning strike that appears to move slowly across the sky?
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Crawlers

Best Lightning Strikes trivia quiz questions

What is a lightning rod?

What is a thunderbolt?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a hissing sound?

What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs within a volcanic plume?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a red or pink glow?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a high-pitched whistling sound?

What is lightning?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that jumps from the ground to a cloud?

What is a grounding wire?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash on the horizon?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a rumble of thunder?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that illuminates the sky but doesn't produce thunder?

What is the average length of a lightning bolt?

What is a thunderstorm watch?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that jumps from one cloud to another?

What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs within a hurricane?

What is the speed of lightning?

What is a thunder boomer?

Which country has the highest density of lightning strikes per square kilometer?

What is a stepped leader?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a cracking sound like a whip?

What percentage of lightning strikes are fatal to humans?

What is a thunderhead?

What is the name for a lightning strike that appears to flicker or shimmer?

What is a thunder mug?

What is a return stroke?

What is a positive lightning strike?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash in the sky?

What is heat lightning?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a loud crackling sound?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a web-like pattern across the sky?

What is ball lightning?

What is a thunderstorm warning?

What is the longest recorded distance covered by a single lightning bolt?

What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs without any precipitation?

How far can lightning travel horizontally before striking the ground?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a deep booming sound?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a zigzag line?

What causes lightning to strike?

How long does an average lightning bolt last?

What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs within a snowstorm?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a ribbon-like shape?

What is a thunderbolt and lightning very, very frightening according to Queen?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a low rumbling sound?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that jumps from a cloud to the ground?

What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs between two separate clouds?

What is 'positive lightning'?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that splits into two or more branches?

What is the most common type of lightning?

What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs between two separate thunderstorms?

What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs between the ground and a cloud?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a series of flashes along a straight line?

What is a thundercloud?

What is sheet lightning?

What is the main component of the Earth's atmosphere that allows lightning to occur?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears during a storm but is too far away to hear?

What is a Faraday cage?

What is a lightning bolt emoji?

What causes thunder after a lightning strike?

What is a thunder shower?

What is a thunderbird?

What is the temperature of a lightning bolt?

How hot can lightning get?

What is the name for a lightning strike that occurs between two different parts of the same cloud?

What color is lightning?

What is rocket lightning?

What is the average width of a lightning bolt?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash with no thunder?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a bright flash followed by a buzzing sound?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a purple-pink discharge?

What is a thunder roll?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that strikes the same place repeatedly?

What is the distance at which you can hear thunder?

What is the name for a lightning strike that appears to have no branches?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that stays within a cloud?

What is the primary cause of lightning?

What is a fulgurite?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a blue jet?

What is the name for a lightning bolt that appears as a glowing ball?