Thunder isn’t just loud noise. Its pitch, rumble, and duration are shaped by the exact path lightning takes through the air.

“We call it megaflash lightning and we’re just now figuring out the mechanics of how and why it occurs,” study co-author and Arizona State University climatologist Randy Cerveny said in a statement.

Thunderstorms are one of nature's most fascinating and dangerous occurrences. We have all witnessed a lightning bolt illuminating the night sky and heard the booming crack of thunder that follows. As ...

Lightning has captured people's fascination for millennia. It's embedded in mythology, religion and popular culture. Think of ...