Weather - Facts for Kids

You almost never see a rainbow at noon in tropical places because the Sun is too high in the sky — above 42° — so the rainbow stays below the horizon and can’t be seen!

Lightning happens when positive and negative charges build up in different parts of a storm cloud, sort of like how rubbing a balloon on your hair makes static electricity — but on a much bigger scale! When those opposite charges try to connect, the electricity jumps through the air as lightning.

The word “rainbow” comes from the Old English words “regn” (rain) and “boga” (bow or arch)!

A single lightning strike flashes by in less than half a second, but because lightning is so bright, you can sometimes see the flash from very far away — even over 100 miles on a clear night!

The longest lightning flash ever seen lasted about 17 seconds! That’s much longer than a normal lightning bolt, which usually flashes for less than a second!