How is lightning formed? (Details)

Based on different topographic and meteorological conditions, lightning can generally be divided into 3 major categories: thermal lightning, frontal lightning (hot and cold frontal lightning), and topographic lightning.

Water vapor in the atmosphere is the internal cause of thundercloud formation; the formation of thunderclouds is also related to the topography of nature as well as meteorological conditions.

Thermal lightning is a type of lightning that often occurs in the late afternoon in summer, often accompanied by heavy rain or hail. Thermal lightning is formed very quickly, the duration is not long, 1 ~ 2 hours; the length of the minefield does not exceed 200 ~ 300km, the width does not exceed tens of kilometers. Thermal lightning formation must have the following conditions.

The air is very humid, and the air is nearly saturated with water vapor, which is a necessary factor for the formation of thermal lightning.

A clear summer day, a hot sun, the ground is subjected to sustained exposure to the sun, the temperature of the moist air near the ground increases rapidly, people feel hot and stuffy, which is a necessary condition for the formation of thermal lightning.

No or little wind, resulting in uneven air humidity and temperature. The reason for no or little wind may be that there is little change in the airflow here, or it may be due to the topography (e.g., a basin in the mountains).