 National Geographic Kids Level 1 Storms Miriam Bush Goyne Red by Dionne Graham Weather Storms are important. Living things need fresh water from rain and snow. Wind can help clean the air. Weather cools and heats our planet, so it is just right for life. Clouds are made of drops of water so small they float. These clouds look heavy and gray. Can you hear the wind blow? Leaves wave back and forth on branches. What's happening? Wild, wonderful, stormy weather. Weather words. Weather. What it is like outside. Thunder and lightning. Flash. Boom. In these storm clouds, the drops of water have frozen. Little ice crystals are bumping wildly against big crystals. This makes lightning. Lightning heats the air quickly. This very fast temperature change makes sound waves. The sound is thunder. Weather words. Crystal. A shape that is the same on many sides. Lightning is electricity. It is hotter than the sun. Some lightning jumps from cloud to cloud. Some jumps from the ground to the sky. Lightning can make loops and patterns in the sky. It can even roll in a ball. Lightning bolts can travel 60 miles or more. Weather words. Electricity. Energy that can be natural or man-made.