Lightning is a powerful electrical discharge made during a thunderstorm. The electric current is very hot and causes the air around it to expand very quickly, which in turn makes thunder. Sometimes it happens between clouds. Sometimes (in the rain) it goes from cloud to ground. If it goes from cloud to ground, it can strike a person. Around 2000 people are struck by lightning each year. About 50 to 100 lightning bolts strike the Earth every second. Lightning has hit the Empire State Building as many as 500 times a year.
A lightning bolt (or a lighting strike) is a line of electric energy that is made during thunderstorms. It is very powerful and can kill anyone that it touches. It usually strikes tall objects such as skyscrapers, trees and mountains. There are survivors of lighting bolt strikes.
Thunder is a very loud sound that is made sometimes during a very big rain storm. Thunder is so loud, it can be heard from a very far distance. It can sound like a boom, a crash, or a rumble.
Thunder is made when lightning strikes. The energy from the lightning heats up the air so much that it makes a kind of explosion.