Tag: thunderstorm

ELVES: When a Lightning Produces Powerful Electromagnetic Pulses
Lightning is only one of several electromagnetic phenomena caused by thunderstorms that we can see here on Earth. Pilots have reported seeing red “sprites” and “blue jets” above thunderclouds for decades. Translucent, ring-shaped “ELVES” and gamma-ray bursts that seemed to originate from the clouds have also been reported. The interconnected nature of these radiation events is still poorly understood. But there is a possible connection between the ELVES and the gamma-ray bursts.
What Is An ELVES?
The large formation of an ELVES recorded by the International Space Station from 250 miles (400 km) above. (Credit: ESA)
“Emissions of Light and Very Low Frequency Perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources” is an abbreviation for this singular occurrence called ELVES. The ELVES is a kind of TLE, or “Transient Luminouse Events.” Transient luminous events (TLEs) are atmospheric phenomena that arise as a byproduct of primary thunderstorm lightning.
The light of an ELVES comes from the excitation of nitrogen molecules brought on by collisions between electrons. The electromagnetic pulse might have energized the electrons due to a discharge from an underlying thunderstorm.
The Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) captured this animation of a terrestrial gamma-ray flash (TGF) and subsequent ELVES. (Credit: Birkeland Centre for Space Science and Mount Visual)
The ELVES usually glows for 1 millisecond, and they appear as a ring-shaped light expanding 250 mi (400 km) in diameter. ELVES was originally recorded on an STS-41 Space Shuttle flight in 1990. For a while, nobody knew for sure what color ELVES was, but we now believe it is red.
Short gamma-ray bursts generated in thunderstorms appear to be responsible for the formation of ELVES.
How Does ELVES Form?
Above the thunderclouds, the infographic depicts a variety of electromagnetic events including the ELVES.
Some millionths of a second is all that this gamma-ray burst in the atmosphere above a thunderstorm takes. The intense electromagnetic field produced by a lightning strike accelerates electrons in the immediate vicinity. These electrons collide with the nitrogen molecules, exciting them.
During intense discharges, the electrons gain enough speed to combine with other air particles, producing gamma rays. The gamma flash that is sent into the atmosphere as a consequence usually only lasts for 30–40 millionths of a second (microseconds).
When Thunderstorms Produce Powerful Electromagnetic Pulses
Late in March, around 62 miles (100 km) above Ancona, Italy, a red ELVES ring with a radius of approximately 220 miles (350 km) was photographed. (Credit: Valter Binotto)
In addition to the gamma-ray, the lightning from a thunderstorm produces powerful electromagnetic waves that go upwards through the atmosphere as an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). This occurs because lightning supercharges the ions present in the atmosphere. This is where the formation of ELVES comes into play.
Once the pulse reaches the bottom of the ionosphere, some 50–55 miles (80–90 km) above the earth, it converts its energy to electrons, which in turn hit gas molecules—usually nitrogen—in the atmosphere, stimulating them enough to create the primarily reddish light. This light is known as ELVES, or ELVESs in the plural.
An ELVES is normally perceptible for a fraction of a second (usually 1 millisecond). Many reported ELVES glows started about the same time as the gamma-ray burst, providing evidence that the two events could be related.
The Electromagnetic Event of ELVES
Artist’s impression of TARANIS in orbit with thunderstorms generating ELVES. (Credit: NASA)
The European Space Agency’s Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) captured numerous signals from a thunderstorm reported by ISS astronauts east of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Lightning in the cloud was the first visible sign of this electromagnetic phenomenon.
A gamma-ray burst was likely set off at its onset. Scientists believe gamma rays are created when supersonic electrons collide with airborne atomic nuclei, slow down, and release high-energy photons during a thunderstorm.
The strong electric field associated with lightning (light blue) results in a terrestrial gamma-ray burst (magenta). The subsequent electromagnetic pulse is what causes ELVES, the widening ring of UV emission (red and white). (Credit: NASA)
The gamma-ray burst lasted for 30–40 microseconds and was seen to occur at a height of around 7.5 miles (12 km), or 0.60 miles (1 km) below the cloud top. The flare not only emitted gamma rays, but also set off an electromagnetic pulse in the thunderstorm that spread horizontally and vertically for miles. At that height of 50–55 miles (80–90 km), it created an ELVES, which appeared as a ring-shaped light.
The ISS’s sophisticated detectors picked it up in the electromagnetic spectrum’s reddish and ultraviolet regions. This time the observed ELVES started to glow a little more than 10 microseconds after the gamma-ray burst began.
November 23, 2022
How Lightning Actually Occurs During a Thunderstorm
November 23, 2022
Most Useful Clouds to Predict the Weather
Humans have been able to accurately forecast the weather by studying natural patterns for thousands of years. Clouds, in particular, may provide useful information about the near-term weather. Where do you think the day’s weather will stand? Take a look at the sky and make your own forecast.
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Listed below are five different classes of clouds, each with its own significance.
The Formation of the Clouds
The accuracy of weather predictions has risen dramatically in recent decades. However, mankind has been able to foretell the weather down to the hour by studying cloud patterns for thousands of years. Clouds, depending on their make-up, might be white, gray, thick, or thin.
The transformation of water vapor into a liquid state results in the formation of clouds.
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Clouds are formed when warm air that is already saturated with water cools, causing some of the water to condense into droplets. When air travels upward, it cools down because of the decrease in temperature.
Clouds are made up of tiny droplets of water or ice crystals suspended in the air. It’s clear that these particles are always in transit. According to scientists, a 1 km³ cumulus cloud may weigh up to 1,000,000 tons.
Cumulus
Hazy clouds are called cumulus clouds
Hazy clouds are called cumulus clouds. Image: GoldenMedows,, CC BY-SA 3.0
These clouds have the distinct appearance of cotton due to their smooth surfaces. Both of their flat bases are on the same horizontal plane. With the sun shining on them, they take on a dazzlingly white color. Not only do they not foretell an impending rain, but they are also not even somewhat interesting.
Scientists classify cumulus clouds into three categories:
- Cumulus humilis, which is broad and short in height;
- Cumulus mediocris, which has a moderate height but few protuberances;
- Cumulus congestus, which is tall and bushy. This is the last phase of cumulus development preceding the formation of cumulonimbus.
Cumulonimbus
Thunderstorms can be brought on by the Cumulonimbus cloud
Cumulonimbus incus.
It shouldn’t rain as long as the cumulus clouds stay tiny, but if they keep getting bigger and higher in the sky, that’s a terrible omen.
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Storm clouds that are capable of producing hail are called cumulonimbus.
Cirrus
High in the sky, cirrus clouds float about
High in the sky, cirrus clouds float about. Image: Cirrus clouds2, CC BY-SA 3.0
Very high in the atmosphere, between 3.5 and 7 miles (6 and 12 kilometers), cirrus forms as thin, white threads. The arrival of a warm front that might bring rain within 12 hours is signaled by cirrus clouds that get lower and thicker as time passes.
Stratus
These stratus clouds, like the Stratus nebulosus, are low and gray
These stratus clouds, like the Stratus nebulosus, are low and gray.
Grey stratus clouds often hover fewer than 1650 feet (500 meters) above the earth. Hilltops and high-rises are readily hidden from view. Stratus clouds are a continuous blanket that might provide a little rain. If they make it to the ground, they’ll be like a dense fog.
Lenticular clouds
Lenticular clouds are often observed near peaks
Lenticular clouds are often observed near peaks, such as here in Japan near the Mount Fuji.
A lenticular cloud’s shape has nothing to do with the weather’s trajectory. Their distinctive form recalls a lens or possibly a UFO. You may often see these clouds in the vicinity of mountain peaks. They owe their form to the presence of wind at high altitudes.
November 10, 2022
Are Thrips Really the Indicator of Thunderstorms?
Thunderstorm creatures, also known as thrips or fringed-wing insects, are often little, black, and very unpleasant. They are often called thunderflies, thunderbugs, storm flies, thunderblights, or storm bugs. These tiny insects, which rarely exceed 0.12 inches (3 millimeters) in length, seem to arrive en masse if the weather is hot and humid and a rainstorm is on the horizon. Although there are over 6,000 different species of thrips, their tiny size means they are often overlooked.
When Thrips Cluster in Thousands
(Image: Fort Valley State University)
They cluster together in the thousands, resembling dark clouds, which are unpleasant for anybody who is caught in them because the thrips fall on any exposed skin and also in the nasal passages, oral cavity, and eyes, producing a crawling, itchy sensation. But may the reason for their mass hording be the approaching thunderstorm? Are they really suitable as thunderstorm indicators? If that’s the case, then how can thrips anticipate the arrival of a thunderstorm?
On hot, humid summer days, several species of thrips are known to engage in swarming flights. Temperatures over 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) and stable, unchanging climatic conditions trigger the huge swarming of thrips. Thrips may rapidly become a nuisance when they emerge in masses, landing on humans and being drawn to all bright colors. When it’s hot and steamy outside, humans sweat, and thrips lick this perspiration off their skin and sometimes even bite through it. This causes irritation and, in really sensitive individuals, skin inflammation.
Humans as Landing Pands
But the thunderstorm is not the cause of the thrips’ mass presence. Instead, the little insects, which are normally dispersed across the skies, settle on the ground in a coordinated effort when a storm is approaching. So they cluster around the places where people like us go and even utilize us as landing pads.
Thus, an increase in the number of thrips in the lower levels of the atmosphere may actually be an indicator of an approaching thunderstorm.
Electric Field as a Thunderstorm Indicator
However, how can thrips know when a storm is about to hit the area? This is more related to a physical phenomenon than the weather itself. This is because electrically charged thunderclouds also alter the atmospheric electric field. Thunderstorms may produce electric fields as strong as 15 kilovolts per foot (kV/ft) (50 kilovolts per meter), compared to the typical 0.03 kV/ft (0.1 kV/m).
Research on fruit flies and other insects demonstrates that strong electric fields may cause thrips to lose control of their flight and become disoriented. For instance, British thrips researcher William Kirk believes that tiny insects like thrips, in particular, are impacted by variations in electric field strength and are no longer able to fly at roughly 2.4 kV/ft (8 kV/m) and beyond. So, this electric charge might also be responsible for the sudden swarms of thrips that arrive near the ground just before a rainstorm. In most cases, though, it appears that thrips swarms are indicators of an impending storm.
September 25, 2022