NORFOLK, Va. — Lightning is a common occurrence in Virginia and North Carolina, but have you ever wondered how and why it forms? Think of the formation of lightning as if you are playing with magnets.

Lightning has captivated scientists for centuries, but despite extensive research, the precise atmospheric conditions that trigger a lightning strike within thunderclouds have remained a profound ...

Ball lightning has mystified scientists and witnesses for centuries, appearing as glowing orbs during thunderstorms that seem to defy physics. While thousands of people report seeing these luminous ...

It is thought that the earliest spark of a lightning bolt could arise directly from charged ice crystals. Yet the exact ...

An artist's rendering of gamma-ray glows observed during the research, with gamma rays colored purple for emphasis NASA / ALOFT mission Two hundred and seventy-two years after that June afternoon when ...

The collision of two lightning-bolts-in-the-making spawned an exceedingly brief but extremely energetic flash of gamma rays. This first-of-its-kind observation may help explain an origin of some of ...

We know Earth formed roughly 4.54 billion years ago and that the first single cell lifeforms were present roughly 1 billion years after that. What we don’t know is what triggered the process that ...

It starts with a flash that slices through the sky. Moments later, thunder follows with a deafening rumble. You are told to stay indoors, unplug your phone, or avoid touching anything metallic. Some ...

They say lightning never strikes twice. But in recent days it seems to be striking again and again — to deadly effect. On Wednesday, the Norwegian Ski Federation announced that Olympic skier Audun ...

Weather patterns channeling moisture into the state have led to an abundance of lightning strikes that have ignited hundreds of wildfires. By Amy Graff Amy Graff is a San Francisco-based reporter on ...