Lightning Types: Intracloud, Intercloud, and Cloud to Ground, and the Extremely Powerful Superbolts

In large storms powerful updrafts generate friction between graupel, and ice crystals causing charge separation (negative charge accumulates near cloud base, positive charge near cloud top). With large enough voltage separation, lightning occurs either intracloud (within one cloud),  intercloud (cloud to cloud), or cloud to ground. Cloud to ground comprises about 20% of the total. Occasionally “superbolts” can occur with much higher energies, fortunately these occur mostly over oceans and over the Andes but they can occur anywhere. Lighting science is fascinating.

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