Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 246, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 November 1917 — Raindrops Make Lightning. [ARTICLE]

Raindrops Make Lightning.

An English scientist declares that the splitting of raindrops in falling through the ascending air currents, which are characteristic of thunderstorms, is the source of lightning. The small drops with negative charges go up with the wind while large ones with positive charges stay below. Thus during a thunderstorm there is usually a region of positive electricity between the positive earth and the negative upper portion. When the charge has become sufficient a series of direct current discharges usually takes place along approximately the same line and these reduce what we see as a lightning flash.