Thunderstorms can produce billions of volts Enrique Díaz/7cero/Getty
A thunderstorm in India produced an electric potential of 1.3 billion volts – 10 times the highest voltage previously recorded. The finding could help explain how high-energy gamma rays are produced during storms.
Inside a thundercloud, positively charged water droplets are carried upward while negatively charged hail pellets are drawn down. This difference in charge between the top and the bottom of the cloud creates a vertical electric field that intensifies as the cloud gets larger. In thunderclouds that are several kilometres thick, the electric potential can reach billions of volts.
That…
