EOSC 114 Midterm: EOSC 114 Midterm 3 Learning Goals
Document Summary
Storm hazards are: warm, moist unstable air, particularly at low levels, and some lifting mechanism. Describe the different types of lightning, how they form, and what happens when they strike something. There are two types of lightning: intracloud lightning and cloud-to-ground lightning. Intracloud lightning forms when there is a difference in charge centers within the cloud, resulting in a discharge which forms lightning. A difference in charge centers in the cloud and the ground result in discharges that form lightning. However, there are two types of cloud-to-ground lightning: positive and negative. Positive strikes are less frequent, come from the anvil and are much stronger (can cause wildfires). Negative strikes are more frequent and come from the base of the thunderstorm. Intracloud lightning = difference in charge centers inside the cloud -> discharge. Cloud-to-ground = difference in charge centers from cloud to ground -> discharge. Positive cg lightning are less frequent, come from the anvil but are much stronger.
