Learn about High Current Electrical Discharges

Lightning is a high current electrical discharge in the atmosphere. Thunderclouds are the most common producers. For this discharge to occur there must be a charge separation large enough within the cloud to cause electrical breakdown of the air.
Thunderclouds generally develop behind negative charge in their base while the ground is positive, relative to the cloud. When this large potential difference is discharged, the result is lightning.
A lightning stroke begins with an invisible discharge called the stepped leader which leads downward in discreet step. As a negative leader approaches the cloud, another leader moves up to meet it. When the two make contact, visible lightning called the return stroke instantaneously propagates upward from the ground along the path of the leaders. Subsequent strokes will occur into the charged center in the cloud it dissipated.


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