Collisions among ice crystals, water droplets and soft hail help separate electric charge inside thunderstorms. When the electric field becomes strong enough, air begins to conduct and a lightning discharge forms between regions of charge or between cloud and ground.
What we found
A storm cloud acts like a huge electrical system. Small particles are carried upward while heavier icy particles fall, and collisions help sort charge into different regions. The air normally resists electric current, but an intense electric field creates branching channels. A return stroke then produces the brilliant flash we see. Lightning can strike the same place repeatedly, especially tall structures. The Ridbusters then compare the wording with the original sources, look for the conditions of each observation and check whether another explanation could fit. That turns a surprising headline into a trail a young investigator can follow: claim, test, result and remaining uncertainty. Collisions among ice crystals, water droplets and soft hail help separate electric charge inside thunderstorms.