Lightning’s 30,000°C Flash: hotter than the Sun’s surface, but not Sun-energy

NOAA notes a lightning channel can reach about 30,000°C, roughly five times the Sun’s visible-surface temperature, though this is a comparison to the Sun’s photosphere, not the Sun as a whole; the extreme heat comes from a tiny, microsecond‑long channel and drives a shock that produces thunder, while the Sun still emits vastly more energy overall. The temperature is inferred from the light spectrum, not direct contact with the plasma.