This is called rectification, and rectifier diodes are most commonly used in low current power supplies. A switching diode is most often used to turn a circuit on or off, and band switching diodes are used for switching high frequency band signals.
Thunder occurs when energy from lightning heats and rapidly expands the air. The resulting sound wave gets heard as thunder. While lightning and thunder occur at roughly the same time, lightning travels at the speed of light, or at 186,000 miles a second, while thunder travels at the speed of sound, equivalent to one-fifth of a mile in one second. People see the lightning long before they hear the thunder.
In order to understand thunder causes, one needs to know about lightning first. Well! Lightning is the electricity discharged during a thunderstorm. Lightning is caused due to build-up and discharge of electrical energy in the thunderstorm clouds, which average about 15,000 to 25,000 feet above sea level. Lightning usually occurs within clouds, between the cloud and air or between the ground and cloud.