A lightning flash crosses the sky and disappears almost immediately. In its canal, the air can be heated to about 30,000 degrees Celsius, according to the U.S. Meteorological Service. It is more than the temperature of the surface of the Sun, not the temperature of its heart.
The electric discharge brutally heats the material it passes through. The air expands rapidly; this disturbance generates the sound wave we call thunder. Light and noise are therefore two related manifestations of an extremely brief event, even if we do not perceive them at the same time at a distance.
The comparison with the Sun seems impossible because it juxtaposes a fleeting phenomenon and a star. It reminds us that a high temperature does not require that an object be immense or that it remain in this state for a long time. The sky can bring together, for the time of a flash, conditions that our daily experience does not let us guess.
What we know
Air temperature in the channel, not all air around a thunderstorm. Comparison with the solar surface only.
To go to the source
References consulted on September 21, 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
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