difference in charge
During a thunderstorm, some parts of a thunderhead become negatively charged. Other parts become positively charged. The difference in charge creates lightning. Lightning is a huge release of electricity. Lightning can jump between oppositely charged parts of the same cloud, between one cloud and another, or between a cloud and the ground. You can see lightning in Figure below . Lightning blasts the air with energy. The air heats and expands so quickly that it explodes. This creates the loud sound of thunder .