How hot is lightning?

1. A little hotter than the boiling temperature of water, 212 °F (100 °C).
2. As hot as the core of the sun.
3. About 30,000 Kelvin, or 53,500 °F.

The correct answer is (3), about 30,000 Kelvin. This is much hotter than the temperature of the surface of the sun, which is 6,000 Kelvin (about 10,300 °F), but not nearly as hot as the core of the sun, whose temperature is more than tens of millions Kelvin. 

Fortunately, there are more than 90 lightning detection networks installed globally, allowing meteorological agencies to provide timely severe weather warnings. Learn more here!

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