Multi‐Instrumental Observation of an Upward Cloud‐To‐Air Discharge Above a Mediterranean Storm

Abstract

Abstract On the night of 1 November 2022, a luminous discharge was produced above a storm over the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. An unprecedented set of optical and electrical data makes it possible to characterize this event. It is embedded in a lightning flash which starts with a positive discharge producing a high‐power very high frequency (VHF) source at 6 km followed by VHF sources at 10 and 4 km within the cloud. The luminous event above the cloud is identified as a negative leader emerging from the cloud and reaching 14.2 km, topped with streamers up to about 17.2 km, and followed by channel rebrightening phases connected to the negative charge of a positive dipole. It is preceded by a convective surge and a production of positive flashes within the same storm region. Its polarity and its triggering conditions show similarities with those of gigantic jets.

Keywords

• upward discharge
• lightning
• convection
• current
• electromagnetic radiation