When It Strikes
Lex Daily
Most Dangerous Types Of Lightning
One of the most dangerous types of cloud-to-ground lightning are bolts from the blue. A " Bolt from the Blue" is a cloud-to-ground lightning flash. It typically comes out of the thunderstorm cloud, travels a relatively large distance in clear air away from the storm cloud, & then angles down and strikes the ground.
Lightning Flashes
Lightning flashes have been documented to travel more than 25 miles away from the thunderstorm cloud. Bolts from Blue lightning flashes are particularly dangerous types of lightning flashes, as they appear to come out of the clear sky.
Why Does Lightning Strike So Far Away From The Thunderstorm Cloud?
This type of lightning is why it is dangerous to be outside when thunderstorms are in action, even out of clear skies. Lightning can, and will, strike many miles away from the thunderstorm cloud itself. It is a good idea to wait at least 30 minutes or more after the rain ends before resuming outdoor activities.
Why Does The Lightning Strike Upward?
Most people see lightning strikes that go from the clouds to the ground, but some lightning goes upward, forming blue jets and gigantic jets. Perhaps the most dangerous lightning appears as "bolts from the blue" lightning begins upward, but then moves sideways and then downward to hit the ground as much as three miles from the thunderstorm.
How Much Lightning Strikes In The Clouds that we Can't See?
About 90% of lightning occurs inside the clouds and is not visible to the casual observer. The researchers wondered if lightning that appears within clouds and the lightning escapes upward or downward shared the same development mechanism.
The Most Common Form Of Lightning.
Intracloud lightning, the most common form of lightning, the transfers to charge occurs between the most negatively and most positively charged areas, the middle and upper parts of the cloud, respectively. Lightning that strikes the ground does so because precipitation or the storms progression creates an excess of net negative charge in the mid-levels of the cloud. This results in either a direct ground strike or a bolt form the blue.