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Last Updated: Thursday April 07 2011 11:40 GMT

Thunderstorm quiz!

Thunderstorm quiz!

Are you a faster than a lightning bolt? Check out Newsround's quiz to see how much you know!


1.) Question 1

What is a flash of lightning called?

  1. A bolt
  2. A bullet
  3. A blizzard

2.) Question 2

What is do experts called a thunder cloud?

  1. Thundonimbus
  2. Cumulonimbus
  3. Rainonimbus

3.) Question 3

Where in the world are you most likely to see a thunderstorm?

  1. Chicago
  2. Cornwall
  3. The Congo Basin

4.) Question 4

How many times hotter than the sun can a lightning bolt be?

  1. 5 times
  2. 10 times
  3. 15 times

5.) Question 5

How many thunderstorms do experts reckon there are every hour on earth?

  1. 76
  2. 760
  3. 7600

6.) Question 6

What is the noise thunder makes usually called?

  1. A clap
  2. A slap
  3. A whoosh

7.) Question 7

What causes a thunderstorm?

  1. Cold dry air sinking
  2. Hot damp air rising
  3. Heavy rain and wind

8.) Question 8

How many people are killed by lightning strikes around the world each year?

  1. 200
  2. 2000
  3. 20000

9.) Question 9

How fast can lightning travel?

  1. 140,000 miles an hour
  2. 14,000 miles an hour
  3. 1,400 miles an hour

10.) Question 10

How many volts of electricity can each lightning bolt have?

  1. One million
  2. One billion
  3. One trillion


  1. A flash of lightning is normally called a bolt!
  2. A thunderstorm cloud is called a Cumulonimbus, you can usually see one brewing as they can be really big!
  3. Thunderstorms can happen all over the world but you are mostly likely to see one in the Congo Basin in Africa.
  4. A bolt of lightning can be up to 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun. Wow!
  5. Experts now reckon that there are around 760 thunderstorms on earth every hour! The number is actually much lower than scientists had thought before.
  6. Most people say that thunder sounds like a loud clap!
  7. Thunderstorms are caused when hot damp air quickly rises in the atmosphere.
  8. Around 2000 people are killed by lightning strikes each year, but hundreds more are struck and survive.
  9. Lightning is super speedy and can travel as fast as 140,000 miles an hour!
  10. Each lightning bolt can have around one billion volts of electricity in it. A TV in the UK normally uses around 100 volts, so that's pretty powerful!

Your Score

0 - 3 : Drizzle head

4 - 6 : Rumbling on...

7 - 10 : Lightning bolt!