Question: What causes both lightning and static cling?
Answer: Lightning is an electrical discharge caused by imbalances between storm clouds and the ground, or within the clouds themselves. Most lightning occurs within the clouds. Lightning is extremely hot—a flash can heat the air around it to temperatures five times hotter than the sun's surface.
Lightning is caused by a buildup of static electricity inside a storm cloud. Moving around inside the cloud are tiny water molecules called hydrometeors. These hydrometeors are colliding and bumping into each other—creating a static electric charge.
