Recent observations of lightning discharges from the top of a thundercloud into the clear air aboveA letter of inquiry to a magazine read by airplane pilots has elicited 15 new observations of a rare form of lightning that comes out of the cloud top, goes up vertically, and terminates in the clear air above. These confirm previous observations showing that this phenomenon usually occurs above very large and energetic thunderclouds. However, small clouds with tops at 15,000 feet have been observed to have this rare form of lightning also. One of the more spectacular observations was made over the severe storm that produced the devastating Xenia, Ohio, tornadoes of April 1965.
Document ID
19890038845
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Vaughan, O. H., Jr. (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Vonnegut, B. (New York, State University Albany, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1988
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Meeting Information
Meeting: International Conference on Atmospheric Electricity