Explainer: What's behind the lightning storms?

Overnight a lightning storm hit the country which saw over six thousand lightning strikes - six thousand! Which got us thinking about lightning and how little we understand it. You've probably seen the flashes, and maybe even counted the seconds until the thunder arrives, but where does it come from? How does a cloud create a bolt that's hotter than the surface of the sun? And why does New Zealand seem to get fewer dramatic lightning storms than other places? To answer those questions and more Jesse is joined by MetService Meteorologist Lewis Ferris.