Lightning can be categorized by its occurrence location into cloud lightning and ground lightning. The former is the discharge process between a charged center within the cloud and a differently charged center outside the cloud, which during thunderstorms results in multiple lightning bolts crisscrossing the cloud layers. This type is frequent, of lower intensity, and often obscured by cloud layers, causing the sound of thunder to quickly attenuate or even become entirely inaudible.
On the other hand, ground lightning is the discharge process between the cloud layer and the ground, i.e., the lightning that strikes the earth. In this process, the narrow channel of lightning releases a huge amount of electrical energy, creating powerful shockwaves and producing a dull thunderclap.