Thunder and Electricity

One day few years back, the weather was cloudy and everybody was rushing to get home as soon as possible to avoid being cut-up in the traffic-jam which usually comes whenever it rained or about to rain. I quickly entered the next available taxi heading towards my abode.

I was so lucky to beat the traffic and got to the house before the actual rain, though the lightening and thundering activities are heavy already.

Few minutes after I entered my house, I notice a very unique lightening, unique because the lightning was not only too bright but was able to power up electrical gadgets in my room. The gadgets went off immediately with the lightning. I was so frightened to go close to any electrical device after the incidence as I was wondering what could happen next.

I cannot but wonder what actually happened. Could it be that there was power supply from the public system? But it’s quite unusual because once there was any sign of rain especially with thundering activities the power system goes off until the rains and thundering are over.

This same experience occurred more than four times on different months and years after my first experience.

In my effort to understand what actually happened, I remembered when our Physics teacher back in secondary school taught us about lightning and thunder. He told us that the sound we hear during the thundering activity is called a ‘thunder clap’ and the clap was as a result of jamming of anion and cation. He told us that when this cation and anion (i.e Positive and negative electric current) accumulate in the cloud, it causes an electrical reaction which climaxes with a clap which eventually discharges the current. Back then, we asked our teacher a lot of questions on the topic discussed based on our little knowledge and understanding.

This incidence sparked a lot of thoughts, ideas and salient questions within me, which led to my carrying out some personal researches about thunder.

Some of the questions running into my mind which demand a satisfying answers includes:

What actually is thunder?

What generates the cations and anions if actually it is what our teacher told us?

Why can’t electrical current in thunder be tamed, harnessed and used to generate energy for human use?

Why does it usually occur in a particular weather condition?

Going by the stories I heard while growing up and what I have seen so far about thunder, how it used to strike and destroy trees, houses etc. and how some diabolic people use it to carry out their diabolic activities.

What exactly controls this thunder?

Are there supernatural forces or power behind it? If yes:

Who controls thunder?
Do human manipulate thunder?

Follow me as I roll out my thoughts, findings and believes on the subject matter.

NB: Your comments, criticisms, thoughts, believes and inputs are welcomed.