When moist air rises in a storm cloud it produces a negative charge at the bottom and a positive charge at the top. Opposites attract and this produces an electrical discharge, between two clouds or a cloud and the ground. This is what we call lightning.

A bolt of lightning can reach 50,000°F - five times hotter than the surface of the sun. There are 100 lightning flashes happening somewhere in the world every second, that’s about 8.6m a day.

With that many, it is no surprise the myth that lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place is in fact untrue. The Empire State Building was hit 15 times in 15 minutes during one storm. US Park Ranger, Roy C Sullivan, holds the record for being struck by lightning – he was hit seven times between 1942 and 1977.

To avoid being hit by lightning stay away from water, open spaces and metal objects. Sitting in a car is a good idea, as the metal chassis of the car carries the power around the occupants leaving them unaffected.