GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Lightning is a staple of West Michigan weather, but many natives might not know how this common phenomenon is made.

Lightning is caused in cumulus clouds when ice particles begin to collide.

When warm air at the surface begins to climb, it can often create clouds. Under the right conditions, warm air will continue to accelerate upwards, creating a cumulus cloud. If enough moisture and lift are involved, that cumulus cloud will grow to the top of the atmosphere, becoming a cumulonimbus!

As clouds climb high in the sky, the air turns colder. This causes water droplets to freeze, becoming tiny ice crystals. Turbulence within these cumulonimbus clouds can be quite fierce — upwards of 100 mph. These fast winds cause ice crystals to travel up and down within the c

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