A bolt of lightning is 5 times hotter than the surface of the Sun
The surface of the Sun is approximately 5,500°C (9,900°F). A lightning bolt reaches about 30,000°C (54,000°F) — five times hotter. Lightning's extreme temperature comes from the rapid release of electrical energy through a narrow column of air, which superheats in microseconds. The Sun's extreme temperature comes from nuclear fusion reactions in its core; the surface is actually relatively cooler than the corona (outer atmosphere), which can reach 2 million°C — making the Sun's temperature distribution counterintuitively structured.
We use the Sun as the conceptual maximum of heat — 'hotter than the Sun' sounds like hyperbole. Discovering that a brief bolt of weather electricity exceeds it is both humbling and unsettling.
“A lightning bolt is 5× hotter than the surface of the Sun — 30,000°C vs 5,500°C. Lightning's extreme comes from rapid electrical release through a narrow column of air. ⚡ #OddlyHuman”