'Upside Down Lightning'

[Selectric]

Saw this pop up so had to read. See The Bizarre Upside Down Lightning That Has Scientists Baffled

 

[JahaRa]

I have seen lightening coming up from the ground. I remember arguing with my friend when I mentioned it because she insisted it couldn't happen. It upset her as much as when I mentioned that I dream in color. Anyway, it is not a new phenomenon, it happens under certain conditions.

 

[Paulm]

i always thought that the part you can actually see always comes from the ground up,,,, something a science teacher once said about negative particles down and positive particles rising from the earth or so and so...lol.... i think what they are refering to in the article is lightening that goes from a thunder head or cloud upwards maybe...... Any weather folks or climatologists want to ring in?.....

 

[Debi]

Does lightning strike from the sky down, or the ground up? The answer is both. Cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning comes from the sky down, but the part you see comes from the ground up. A typical cloud-to-ground flash lowers a path of negative electricity (that we cannot see) towards the ground in a series of spurts. Objects on the ground generally have a positive charge under a typical thunderstorm. (The charge that builds up in a small area of the Earth’s surface and the objects on it is determined by the net charge above it since the Earth’s surface is relatively conductive and can move charge in response to the thunderstorm.) Since opposites attract, an upward streamer is sent out from the object about to be struck. When these two paths meet, a return stroke zips back up to the sky. It is the return stroke that produces the visible flash, but it all happens so fast - in a few thousandths of a second - so the human eye doesn't see the actual formation of the stroke. Natural lightning can also trigger upward discharges from tall towers, like broadcast antennas. For more information on cloud-to-ground (and other types of lightning) visit the Severe Weather 101: Lightning Types page.

 

[Debi]

Lightning FAQ - Does lightning travel upward or downward? :: Storm Highway Weather Library

 

[Debi]

Upward-moving lightning and TV towers, skyscrapers and other tall structures

 

[Paulm]

Does lightning strike from the sky down, or the ground up? The answer is both. Cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning comes from the sky down, but the part you see comes from the ground up. A typical cloud-to-ground flash lowers a path of negative electricity (that we cannot see) towards the ground in a series of spurts. Objects on the ground generally have a positive charge under a typical thunderstorm. (The charge that builds up in a small area of the Earth’s surface and the objects on it is determined by the net charge above it since the Earth’s surface is relatively conductive and can move charge in response to the thunderstorm.) Since opposites attract, an upward streamer is sent out from the object about to be struck. When these two paths meet, a return stroke zips back up to the sky. It is the return stroke that produces the visible flash, but it all happens so fast - in a few thousandths of a second - so the human eye doesn't see the actual formation of the stroke. Natural lightning can also trigger upward discharges from tall towers, like broadcast antennas. For more information on cloud-to-ground (and other types of lightning) visit the Severe Weather 101: Lightning Types page.

yep, that first part about neg and positive, up and down, and such is what i remember.......the rest of it and the hows and why's and all is above my paygrade though....lol

 

[JahaRa]

i always thought that the part you can actually see always comes from the ground up,,,, something a science teacher once said about negative particles down and positive particles rising from the earth or so and so...lol.... i think what they are refering to in the article is lightening that goes from a thunder head or cloud upwards maybe...... Any weather folks or climatologists want to ring in?.....

It is an electrical arc that can go both directions. If the conditions are right you get a bolt from a thunder cloud that hits the ground causing an arc that goes up or along the ground. I think it has to do with what is in the ground, why you need a lightning/grounding rod in a place that gets a lot of lightening. It is like having a short in the intercome inside a military van that is made of metal and someone is sitting on the table the intercom is on. They don't feel the electricity they are sitting on until they step onto the ground. The blue arc from the intercom to the table can be seen arcing from one table to the one 6 inches away.

 

[crux]

Having studied electronics, it is my experience that the direction electrical current flows depends on who you ask. One book will say it flows from positive to negative and the other will say the opposite.

Originally, in the early days of electrical discoveries, it was believed that it flows P -> N but now many say, no, that is wrong. It's really N -> P but when you study circuit diagrams it usually makes more sense the other way.

The P -> N concept is called "conventional current flow" in books and the other is called "electron flow."

And, then there are the guys who say that electrons don't really flow at all.

So, go figure.

 

[Duke]

Having studied electronics, it is my experience that the direction electrical current flows depends on who you ask. One book will say it flows from positive to negative and the other will say the opposite.

Originally, in the early days of electrical discoveries, it was believed that it flows P -> N but now many say, no, that is wrong. It's really N -> P but when you study circuit diagrams it usually makes more sense the other way.

The P -> N concept is called "conventional current flow" in books and the other is called "electron flow."

And, then there are the guys who say that electrons don't really flow at all.

So, go figure.

As I've said before, electrons, like electrical engineers, are devious. EEs are also, as a group, terrible pinball players. They can't drink for sh*t, either.