Click
a lightning feature for it's definition. |
|
TYPES
OF LIGHTNING DEFINITIONS
|
Cloud
To Air
Referring
to a discharge from a cloud into a pocket of charge in the surrounding
air. |
Cloud
To Cloud
Referring
to a rare discharge between two separate thunderstorms. Not to be confused
with lightning inside a cloud. |
Cloud
To Ground
Referring
to a discharge between cloud and ground initiated by a downward moving
stepped leader. |
Hail
A
frozen form of rain that falls like a stone or pebble from rather strong
or severe thunderstorms. Hail can cause extensive property damage as well
as severely injure or even cause death to a person. |
Inside
Cloud
Referring
to a discharge within a cloud, the most common type. The channel is normally
obscured from view, and the discharge appears to the observer as a sheet
of light in the sky, therefore it is often called Sheet Lightning. |
Positive
Giant
also known as
Anvil Lightning
Often
called a 'bolt from the blue' because it occurs in seemingly cloudless
skies, a cloud-to-ground discharge reaching from the top of a thunderstorm
and arcing away from the main cloud and striking the ground under sometimes
clear skies. It is dangerous because it fools people into thinking the
lightning danger is gone because the storm is not overhead. |
Rain
A
liquid precipitation which falls from designated clouds when temperatures
are above freezing. Rains which cause flash flooding usually are produced
from thunderstorms. |
Red
Sprite
This
type of lightning strikes between the tops of severe thunderstorms and
the lower ionosphere, which is layer D. It looks like a big red sun with
light blue rays coming out of it. It has been associated with very powerful
"Atmospheric Gamma Ray Bursts" which is when lightning strikes give off
nuclear radiation. |
Scud
Clouds
Low,
dark clouds which usually move rather quickly that imitate a wall cloud
during thunderstorms. |
Thunderhead
The
cloud structure of an active thunderstorm. Especially used when referring
to the flat anvil top. |
PLAY
IT SAFE WHEN IT COMES TO LIGHTNING!
People in recent
years have been killed by lightning while:
 fishing
in a boat,
standing
under a tree,
playing
soccer,
swimming
in the water,
riding
on a lawnmower,
boating
in general, |
golfing
outdoors,
talking
on the telephone,
mountain
climbing,
bicycle
riding,
loading
a truck,
and
more... |
The safest
place to be during any thunderstorm is indoors.
If outside make
yourself as small and compact as possible.
Try to balance
on the balls of your feet and never lay down.
|
A recent lightning
data map for the north-central United States is posted at:
http://maps.weather.com/images/maps/lightning/nc_lightning_720x486.jpg
|
