superbolt
Noun
A rare form of lightning where the bolt is much stronger (such as 100x) and lasts much longer (such as 5x) than the usual forms of lightning.
Usage- Rare
- Examples
-
More examples (1)
A typical lightning bolt has an optical power of about 1 billion watts. The superbolt flashes radiate 100 billion to 10 trillion (10¹¹)-(10¹³) watts. They are quite rare.
This low lightning rate is insufficient to affect the global NOx production, however it may cause local enhancement near Japan where most superbolts occur.
More examples (1)
In rare cases a positively charged giant 'superbolt' may discharge from the forward (or rear) anvil cloud to the negatively charged ground ahead of (or behind) the thunderstorm base.
Word forms
superboltssuper boltsuper-bolt