I heard that like every 15 seconds lightning strikes the earth hundreds of times. Does Lightning ever strike Antartica? Ever anywhere aside from the extreme coast possibly? What kind of effect does this have?
2006-09-26 12:29:57 · 6 answers · asked by chris 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Weather
Lightning is extremely rare in Antartica or the Arctic.
2006-09-26 12:37:13 · answer #1 · answered by Deep Thought 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
This is an extremely interesting question. In a year and a half of living on the coast, and longer at the Pole, I've never seen lightning in Antarctica. Everywhere except the coast, there is certainly not enough vertical motion in the atmosphere to cause lightning. However I have seen very strong vertical motion on the coast casued by cold dry katabatic winds hitting the warm water of the coast and going straight up with aheavy load of mositure.
I don't think this has at all been well studied, and I do not believe anyone has given me a good explanation of why this is the case.
2006-09-26 16:06:27 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you occasionally get thunderstorms in Antarctica, but they're extremely rare. Everywhere in Antarctica except the ice plateau sometimes gets temperatures above freezing in the summer, so it's warm enough for rain. The antarctic peninsula extends outside the Antarctic circle; it's closer to the equator than some cities in the northern hemisphere, and rain is common there. But the vast majority of lightning strikes are in the tropics.
2006-09-26 14:41:08 · answer #3 · answered by zee_prime 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thunderstorms are produced when two masses of air "collide" and one (hotter) rises. The vertical movement charges the clouds creating the potential for thunders.
In antartica or the artic the probability of such an event happening is low because of lack of hot air mass. Still, instead of hot we could have a less cold mass interacting with a colder front which may lead to vertical movement and "charging". But it is usually rare.
2006-09-29 08:30:43 · answer #4 · answered by Dr. J. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No
have you ever noticed there was a lighting storm in the winter?
lighting usually is when there is a thunderstorm
thunderstorms are formed over a large body of water i.e ocean when the heat evaporates and condenses in the sky
no heat
no thunderstorm no lighting in Antartica or cold places
2006-09-26 12:33:15 · answer #5 · answered by nycnazifa 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No. Antarctica never has thunderstorms because it is a desert and no precipitation.
2006-09-26 12:38:47 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋