Synopsis
At any one time it is estimated that 2000 thunderstorms are happening across the world. The team investigate what makes the thundercloud so feared and Leo faces some giant hailstones. Leo and Mike enrol as pylon workers in Florida to find out how the men who do it avoid killer lightning strikes, and we meet the UK boy who cheated death when he was struck by lightning.
- Programme: Fierce Earth
- Series: 1
- Episode: 6: Thunderstorms
- Channel: CBBC
- Broadcast year: 2013
- Geography | Human and physical geography | Climate zones
Licence: ERA Licence required
UK only
Staff and students of licensed education establishments only
Cannot be adapted
Add Notes
More clips from 06: Thunderstorms

Dangerous lightning strike | Fierce Earth
Dangerous lightning strike | Fierce Earth
Zoe hears about a UK boy who cheated death after being hit by a lightning strike.

Hailstones | Fierce Earth
Hailstones | Fierce Earth
Warm air is able to keep ice particles bouncing around and growing in clouds until gravity brings them to earth due to their weight.

Recreating lightning | Fierce Earth
Recreating lightning | Fierce Earth
Mike visits a scientific centre that can recreate a lightning bolt.

Speed of light | Fierce Earth
Speed of light | Fierce Earth
Because of the speed of light compared to sound, you can determine that every 5 seconds that passes before hearing thunder, the lightning is 1 ...

Thunderstorm tips | Fierce Earth
Thunderstorm tips | Fierce Earth
Clare and Leo get some advice about how to ride out a dangerous thunderstorm and avoid getting hit by lightning.

What is a thunderstorm? | Fierce Earth
What is a thunderstorm? | Fierce Earth
Warm moist air rising from the ground is needed for thunderstorms to form.
More resources about Extreme weather events

Being a storm chaser | Fierce Earth
Being a storm chaser | Fierce Earth
One of the team "chases storms" following hurricanes around the USA, collecting weather data in a specifically built car.

Birmingham tornado | Fierce Earth
Birmingham tornado | Fierce Earth
In 2005 a tornado in Birmingham struck a neighbourhood and left it in ruins. Clare meets Nazir who experienced it first hand.

Dangerous lightning strike | Fierce Earth
Dangerous lightning strike | Fierce Earth
Zoe hears about a UK boy who cheated death after being hit by a lightning strike.

Escaping a wildfire | Fierce Earth
Escaping a wildfire | Fierce Earth
Using a "human wildfire", the team take advice from the professionals and attempt to escape its encroaching reach.

Experiencing a wildfire | Fierce Earth
Experiencing a wildfire | Fierce Earth
Leo goes to a firefighting training centre and experiences in a safe setting the actual heat of a wildfire.

Firefighters uniform | Fierce Earth
Firefighters uniform | Fierce Earth
Leo details how a firefighters uniform protects people from extreme heat.

Hailstones | Fierce Earth
Hailstones | Fierce Earth
Warm air is able to keep ice particles bouncing around and growing in clouds until gravity brings them to earth due to their weight.

How do wildfires start? | Fierce Earth
How do wildfires start? | Fierce Earth
Wildfires are mostly started by human carelessness.

Hurricane Ike | Fierce Earth
Hurricane Ike | Fierce Earth
How three young kids lives changed forever when Hurricane Ike destroyed their hometown.

Hurricanes and buildings | Fierce Earth
Hurricanes and buildings | Fierce Earth
How extreme weather has influenced building design, particularly the building of lighthouses.

Hurricanes and damage | Fierce Earth
Hurricanes and damage | Fierce Earth
A list of some of the most devastating hurricanes and their financial damages.

Hurricanes and people | Fierce Earth
Hurricanes and people | Fierce Earth
Leo experiences with a wind tunnel what its like to be in a hurricane and gives out some tips if you are caught in one.

Recreating lightning | Fierce Earth
Recreating lightning | Fierce Earth
Mike visits a scientific centre that can recreate a lightning bolt.

S1E1: Hurricanes | Fierce Earth
S1E1: Hurricanes | Fierce Earth
The team encounters the most feared event in weather - the hurricane. Florida-based stormchaser Mike takes us on a wild ride into the eye of ...

S1E2: Wildfires | Fierce Earth
S1E2: Wildfires | Fierce Earth
The team investigates wildfires and discovers how they rage all over the world leaving a trail of devastation and destruction. We travel to Co...

S1E3: World's Hottest | Fierce Earth
S1E3: World's Hottest | Fierce Earth
In this Fierce Earth special, Clare and Leo head to Death Valley in California which is officially the hottest place in the entire world...

S1E8: Tornadoes | Fierce Earth
S1E8: Tornadoes | Fierce Earth
Tornadoes are rare, but there's nothing more frantic or explosive in nature. The team investigates where that awesome power comes from and wha...

S2E10: Leo's Fiercest Moments | Fierce Earth
S2E10: Leo's Fiercest Moments | Fierce Earth
A very special edition of Fierce Earth, where team adventurer Leo Houlding looks back over his top ten fiercest moments ever. It...

S2E2: Blizzards | Fierce Earth
S2E2: Blizzards | Fierce Earth
In this Fierce Earth special, US storm-chaser Mike Theiss travels into the heart of the Boston Blizzard of February 2013. He witnesses first-h...

S2E6: Avalanches | Fierce Earth
S2E6: Avalanches | Fierce Earth
The team travel to avalanche country and the French ski town of Tignes, in the Alps. Clare and Dougal go skiing in the shadow of the biggest ...