Lightning is a sudden, electrostatic discharge, occurring as a flash/spark in the charged regions of the atmosphere to equalize their charges(temporarily).
The polarity of lightning can affect the way it spreads in the sky. The different types of lightning depend upon the starting/ending points, the direction of movement, and polarity of lightning.
CG (Cloud-to-Ground Lightning): In CG lightning, a thin channel of negative charges will travel downward in a forked/zigzag pattern. As it reaches the ground, the negative charges get attracted to the positive ones (reaching up through any tall structure like a tree or a telephone pole). When these two charges connect, an enormous electric current starts flowing back to the cloud, creating a bright lightning strike (for a few milliseconds).
Negative CG: This is the most common lightning flash viewed during any thunderstorm. They are downward-moving, zigzag/branched, and negatively charged. The effect of this flash is to decrease the negative charge in the cloud by transferring it to the ground.
Positive CG: These are less-common CG flashes because of being positively charged. This effect lowers the extra positive charge present on the Earth's surface. Usually, this lightning occurs during trailing stratiform rains or supercell thunderstorms. They are brighter than any other form of lightning. Such lightning sounds like a low-frequency sonic boom.
CA (Cloud-to-Air Lightning): CA is an electric discharge from a cloud to the surrounding air. Such types of lightning terminate abruptly. CGs always contain many CAs, which get lost while in the air.
GC (Ground-to-Cloud Lightning): GC discharge occurs between a cloud and the ground. Such lightning gets initiated from an object on land. On skyscrapers and towers, such phenomenons are common. They can either be positive or negative in polarity.
IC (Intracloud Lightning): This is also a familiar type of lightning. It refers to lightning within a single storm cloud and then jumping to a different charge region in the same cloud.
Sheet Lightning: In this type, the clouds get illuminated by a lightning bolt inside. Here the actual lightning occurs inside the clouds. Thus, it gets hidden by clouds aside from the light it produces.
Heat Lightning: It is a flash of lightning that is too far from the viewer. For such types of lightning, we cannot hear the sound of thunder.
CC (Cloud-to-Cloud Lightning): These are typically rare, such lightning travel from one cloud to another and another/so on.
Sprites lightning: Sprites are lightning flashes occurring above moving thunderstorms. They are red, faintly lit, column-like, and initiates above the cloud. They last for only a few seconds.
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