Twin Strokes

January 21, 2005

Twinstrikes

Provided by: Claudia Hinz, AKM e.V.
Summary authors & editors: Claudia Hinz

These twin lightning strikes were photographed near Chemnitz, Germany on June 14, 2000. While at first glance they appear to be identical, on closer inspection, it can be seen that they're actually fraternal. Typically, cumulonimbus cloud bases are negatively charged, and the underlying land surface is positively charged. Note their dendritic nature, like a river drainage basin viewed from above -- one main channel and a number of tributaries.

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