Weather Wise: Lightning Charges

Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge between two differently charged regions, a positive and a negative.

LIGHTNING.AFTER SEVERAL RECENTTHUNDERSTORMS, MANYHAVE WONDERED ABOUTTHE DIFFERENCE BETWEENRED AND YELLOW STRIKESON A WEATHER MAP.MTN'S CURTIS GREVENITZEXPLAINS...LIGHTNING...THEWIDTH OF YOURTHUMB AND HOTTERTHAN THE SUN.LIGHTNING IS ANATURALLYOCCURRINGELECTROSTATICDISCHARGEBETWEEN TWODIFFERENTLYCHARGED REGIONS:A POSITIVE AND ANEGATIVE.DIFFERENT CHARGESIN A THUNDERSTORMARE CREATED BY ICEPARTICLES RUBBINGAGAINST EACHOTHER MILLIONS ANDMILLIONS OF TIMES.ON RADAR MAPS,NEGATIVE LIGHTNINGIS IDENTIFIED BYYELLOW ANDPOSITIVE LIGHTNINGIS RED.

THERE IS ASIGNIFICANTDIFFERENCEBETWEEN THE TWO.NEGATIVELIGHTNINGORIGINATES FROMTHE LOWER LEVELOF ATHUNDERSTORM ANDOFTEN STRIKES THEGROUND DIRECTLYUNDER THE CLOUDBASE.

95% OFLIGHTNING STRIKESARE NEGATIVE,MORE COMMONBECAUSE OF THEPROXIMITY OF THEBOTTOM OF THESTORM BEINGNEGATIVELYCHARGED AND THEGROUND BEINGPOSITIVELYCHARGED.POSITIVE LIGHTNINGCOMES FROM THETOP OF ATHUNDERSTORM ANDCAN STRIKE AS MORETHAN 20 MILES AWAY.POSITIVE LIGHTNINGARE 10 TIMES MOREPOWERFUL THANNEGATIVE STRIKES,AND CAN CARRY UPTO 1 BILLION VOLTS.TO THE NAKED EYE,THE FLASHDURATION OFPOSITIVE CHARGEDLIGHTNING ISLONGER, THERE ISONLY ONE STROKE,AND THEASSOCIATEDTHUNDER CAN BELOUDER.

NEGATIVELIGHTNING CAN HAVEMULTIPLE STROKES.POSITIVE STRIKESARE RESPONSIBLEFOR A LARGEPERCENTAGE OFFOREST FIRES ANDPOWER LINEDAMAGE.JUST REMEMBER,ALL LIGHTNING ISDANGEROUS.

SOWHEN THUNDERROARS, HEAD INDOORS.SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THEYNOW KNOW WHAT CAUSESTHE SO-CALLED "NORTHERLIGHTS."