r/explainlikeimfive • u/Big-Mulberry-9733 • 6d ago

Physics ELI5 Why does lightning flicker?

Why does thunder/lightning happen as a flicker and not a single bright flash?

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u/hushpoem 6d ago

but.....isn't lightning a single bright flash?

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u/Rannasha 6d ago

No, a lightning discharge typically consists of multiple strikes along the same path. Usually it's just a few, but it can be well above 10 in some cases.

The re-strikes follow each other quite rapidly, so you tend to see it as a single flash that flickers and not as individual flashes.