1. There can be as many as 2,000 thunderstorms happening on the earth at any given time.

2. There can be 40 - 50 lightning flashes that are generating each second on the earth.

3. There can be 10,000 forest fires started each year.

4. The temperature around a lightning bolt is 27,760 degrees Celsius. In Fahrenheit, it can be upwards of 55,552 degrees.

5. The odds of being struck by lightning are 600,000 to 1.

6. Lightning is especially harmful to maple trees. The reason is that maple trees have sap inside them and when the heat vaporizes this sap, it causes the trees to explode.

7. Benjamin Franklin was the first to discover the true electrical nature of lightning.

8. Thunder is produced when the surrounding air is very hot, causing a booming noise.

9. One of the best places to see lightning storms is in the region between Tampa and Orlando, Florida.