Name __________________________ Date__________________________
Thunder and Lightning
By Wendy Pfeffer
1. Here comes a storm!
4. _________
2. Black clouds sweep across the sky.
5. _________
3. Strong winds whip through the trees.
6. _________
4. Lightning flashes.
7. _________
5. Thunder crashes.
8. _________
6. Rain begins to fall.
7. This is a thunderstorm.
9. _________
8. How do thunderstorms happen?
10. _________
9. It takes a few steps for a thunderstorm to form.
11. _________
10. On hot days, puddles of water dry up.
12. Where does
11. Your wet bathing suit dries, too.
the water go?
1. _________
13. It goes up into
2. _________
the clouds.
3. _________
14. You cannot see it.
16.
_______
15. But this is happening all the time.
17.
_______
16. How does this happen?
18.
_______
17. Hot air turns water into a gas you cannot see.
19.
_______
19. Hot air rises like a balloon.
20.
_______
20. It carries water vapor up to the clouds.
21.
_______
21. Cold air in the clouds turns the water vapor back into
22.
_______
23.
_______
24.
_______
18. This gas is called water vapor (vay-pur).
water.
22. Storm clouds hold billions of drops of water.
23. Some drops join together.
25. Winds push
24. They get heavy and fall to Earth as rain.
the other drops
12.__________
around in the
13.
_______
14.
_______
15.
_______
storm clouds.
26. The drops bump into one another.
28.________
27. The bumping causes static electricity (stat-ik i-lek-
29.________
triss-uh-tee).
28. You see a flash.
30.________
29. You hear a sizzle.
30. Sometimes, static electricity makes your hair crackle
31.________
when you comb it.
31. When electricity starts to flow, it isn’t static anymore.
32._________
32. Electricity flows through the air like a river flows on
the ground.
33. When electricity flows through a cloud, a
giant spark
lights up the sky.
34. This is
25.________
lightning!
26.________
35. There are
many types of
27.________
lightning.
36. Some of them are zigzag, ribbon, ball, and sheet
38._________
lightning.
37. Zigzag lightning follows two or more paths.
39._________
38. It branches out like the limbs of a tree.
39. Ribbon lightning looks like streamers in the sky.
40._________
40. Astronauts (as-truh-nawtz) have seen other type of
lightning.
41. These strange glows about thunderstorms have been
named blue jets, sprites, and elves.
42. Blue jets rise from the tops of clouds.
33._________
34._________
35._________
41._________
42._________
43. Sprites are
flashes of red light.
44. Elves are thin
rings of light.
45. Scientists (sie-
uhn-tistz) are learning
36._________
37._________
what
causes these different kinds of lightning.
46.__________
46. They are studying lightning very carefully
both from the earth and from outer space.
47.__________
47. Every lightning flash make thunder. How
48.__________
does a flash of light make sound?
49.__________
48. As lightning flashes, it heats the air.
50.__________
49. The hot air pushes out.
50. Then it rushes back.
51.__________
51. The hot air pushes out again and rushes back,
52.__________
over and over.
52. This makes the sound you hear.
53. The sound
is thunder.
43. __________
54. The sound
44.__________
of thunder travel fast.
55. But light
45.__________
travels about a
million times
faster than sound.
56.__________
56. So you see lightning before you hear
thunder.
57. __________
57. Thunder may be scary, but it cannot hurt
you.
58. Lightning can be dangerous (dayn-jur-
uhss).
58.__________
59.__________
60.__________
59. It splits trees.
60. It starts fires.
61. Lightning can knock a person off his or
her feet.
61.__________
62. If
lightning strikes a
53.__________
person, he or she
54. __________
may
be badly
55.__________
hurt.
63. How can you be safe from lightning
during a thunderstorm?
64._________
65.__________
64. Stay in a house or a car.
65. Keep away from open doors and windows.
66.__________
66. Do not use the telephone, television,
computer, or shower.
67. If you are outside, stay away from water,
open fields, and trees.
67.__________
68.__________
69.__________
68. Do not lie down on the ground.
69. Take off any metal, like jewelry.
70.__________
70. As the storm moves away, thunder
rumbles and rolls.
71. When the
storm stops, the air
often feels
62._________
cool and
clean.
63._________
72. Puddles, left from the storm, give birds a
drink and kids a place to play.
73. If the sun is shining after the rain, you
may see a rainbow!
71.__________
72.__________
73.__________