A Single Thundercloud Carries 1 Billion Volts of Electricity.
Once the researchers knew the cloud’s electric potential, they wanted to go a step further and measure precisely how much power the thundercloud carried as it roared over Ooty.
Using the data from their widely dispersed electric field monitors, the team filled in some important details about the cloud — that is was traveling at roughly 40 mph (60 km/h) at an altitude of 7 miles (11.4 kilometers) above sea level, had an estimated area of 146 square miles (380 square km, an area about six times the size of Manhattan), and reached its maximum electrical potential just 6 minutes after appearing.
According to Gupta, if thunderstorms can indeed create an electric potential greater than one gigavolt, they could also accelerate electrons quickly enough to break apart other atoms in the atmosphere, producing gamma-ray flashes.
This explanation requires more research to verify its accuracy, Gupta said. In the meantime, be sure to marvel at the next thundercloud you see, for it is an unfathomably mighty force of nature — and, please, think twice before flying a kite.
Credit : Live Science
Picture Credit : Google
