Hurricane Dolly churned into a Category 2 storm as its eye neared the Texas-Mexico border Wednesday, bringing fierce winds and heavy rains that blew down signs, damaged an apartment complex and knocked out electricity to thousands.
A line of thunderstorms battered Iowa with winds of up to 100 mph early Monday, knocking down trees and power lines and blacking out more than 200,000 homes and businesses.
As common as lightning is, it still sparks considerable confusion among scientists. Many of the basics are understood, but researchers admit they don't really understand how lightning gets from there to here. And they're totally baffled by lightning's link to X-rays, a discovery made back in 2001.
Weather 
