A Lightning Bolt Is Five Times Hotter Than the Sun’s Surface
The return stroke of a cloud-to-ground flash can reach 30,000 °C, heating a narrow channel of air so quickly it expands explosively and produces thunder. This temperature spike occurs for only a few microseconds yet is enough to melt sand into glass tubes called fulgurites.
💡 Fun detail:
Aircraft are struck by lightning about once per year without harm because the current travels along the outer skin.
Source: NOAA