Thunderbolt without Thunderstorm near Fossalon; Trieste Gulf, Grado, Gorizia, FVG, Italia
30-June-2022: a sudden 1 billion volt lightning bolt falls a short distance from where I was setting the camera for something much more modest.
While the camera was posing for 1 minute, the minimum for the necessary (Trieste) artificial light in this isolated area of the Gulf of Trieste, on the side towards Grado and without any lightning previously, suddenly, a blinding light makes me take a little of fear not having seen where the bolt fell.
Then, looking at the image collected by the camera, with great amazement, I saw that the powerful lightning bolt was taken entirely in the random composition and I could see, from the image at maximum wide angle, with a bit of dismay, that the lightning strike fell rather close (about 1km).
It 's a very rare case (for me) of "brazen luck", but on the verge of a certain physical risk although the probability of being hit is almost nil and it is the only thing I fully rely on during these phenomena.
Generally, lightning strikes can, in isolation, fall outside the storm front that (anyway) generates them, even several kilometers, so, following the evolution of a T-storm may not be enough to say that we are outside the range of cloud-ground positive strikes.
But, directly, in this case there was none T-storm to follow!
There was a condition of widespread instability with various vertically developing clouds, generally of the "Cumulus congestus" classification (not sufficient to generate a thunderstorm with all the trippings of the definition), scattered over the Gulf of Trieste, generating at most a few sporadic heavy drops.
Therefore, no TS or at least no phenomenon that can be defined as such (and the radar confirmed to me the absence of T-storm cores BEFORE and AFTER this powerful thunderbolt), but, although rarely, some lightning strikes can occur without precipitation attached and this happens for the strong potential difference ("electric air") that is created between soil and clouds in particular cases, such as those present that evening, namely:
1) superheated sea surface, over 30°C, with ascending currents/thermals
2) very dry air over a large part of the air column
3) strong gusty wind (Bora, a local wind of katabatic nature), hot, dry and frictional load
4) slightly cooler and humid air at high altitudes
These are conditions that may not be sufficient to form a thunderstorm cell, but an electrical exchange channel is certainly facilitated.
Thunderbolt without Thunderstorm near Fossalon; Trieste Gulf, Grado, Gorizia, FVG, Italia
30-June-2022: a sudden 1 billion volt lightning bolt falls a short distance from where I was setting the camera for something much more modest.
While the camera was posing for 1 minute, the minimum for the necessary (Trieste) artificial light in this isolated area of the Gulf of Trieste, on the side towards Grado and without any lightning previously, suddenly, a blinding light makes me take a little of fear not having seen where the bolt fell.
Then, looking at the image collected by the camera, with great amazement, I saw that the powerful lightning bolt was taken entirely in the random composition and I could see, from the image at maximum wide angle, with a bit of dismay, that the lightning strike fell rather close (about 1km).
It 's a very rare case (for me) of "brazen luck", but on the verge of a certain physical risk although the probability of being hit is almost nil and it is the only thing I fully rely on during these phenomena.
Generally, lightning strikes can, in isolation, fall outside the storm front that (anyway) generates them, even several kilometers, so, following the evolution of a T-storm may not be enough to say that we are outside the range of cloud-ground positive strikes.
But, directly, in this case there was none T-storm to follow!
There was a condition of widespread instability with various vertically developing clouds, generally of the "Cumulus congestus" classification (not sufficient to generate a thunderstorm with all the trippings of the definition), scattered over the Gulf of Trieste, generating at most a few sporadic heavy drops.
Therefore, no TS or at least no phenomenon that can be defined as such (and the radar confirmed to me the absence of T-storm cores BEFORE and AFTER this powerful thunderbolt), but, although rarely, some lightning strikes can occur without precipitation attached and this happens for the strong potential difference ("electric air") that is created between soil and clouds in particular cases, such as those present that evening, namely:
1) superheated sea surface, over 30°C, with ascending currents/thermals
2) very dry air over a large part of the air column
3) strong gusty wind (Bora, a local wind of katabatic nature), hot, dry and frictional load
4) slightly cooler and humid air at high altitudes
These are conditions that may not be sufficient to form a thunderstorm cell, but an electrical exchange channel is certainly facilitated.