Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Lightning Counters

This is topic Lightning Counters - Diff between Pos And Neg in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 06-01-2004, 10:24 PM:

Dallas area had a busy night tonight (6/1/04) and a local news affiliate was showing a lightning counter and showed a percentage value for both pos and neg strikes.

What is the difference between the two?

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 06-01-2004, 10:43 PM:

Negative (normal) lightning occurs when a storm cloud develops a negative charge and the ground below develops a positive charge. When the negative charge in the cloud get strong enough a "step leader" starts to drop down from the cloud as if to "seek" a pool of positive charge. On the ground, as the positive charges build up a "positive streamer" starts to rise up from the ground as if to "seek" a pool of negative charge. If a step leader touches a streamer... Ka-POW!! Lightning.

Positive lightning is when the charges in the ground and the cloud are reversed. Same net result but the electrons travel in the opposite direction.

Positive lightning is likely to be more dangerous because it's harder for the electrons to make the jump. It takes more charge differential before they jump.

www.noaa.gov explains it better than I can.