What is volcanic lightning?

Volcanoes are an important part of history, helping to form much of our Earth’s landscape. Many of the scenic areas present today, including mountains and islands, were the effect of a volcanic eruption. Volcano eruptions are also rare, and here on Earth, we can go centuries without one. Even rarer is volcanoes + lightning, or volcanic lightning.

Is volcanic lightning different than typical lightning? Yes! Volcanic lightning is much exceptionally rare and is not a part of every volcanic eruption. It is different from typical lightning because it comes from a special type of cloud known as a pyrocumulus cloud, which is formed from intense heating on the earth’s surface from forest fires, some industrial activities and volcanic eruptions. To share more about volcanic lightning and pyrocumulus clouds, WeatherBug Meteorologist Susie Martin investigates Volcanic Lightning and tells how and why they are formed in this month's Classroom Connections VIDEO.

Update to WeatherBug Achieve
We have an update scheduled for WeatherBug Achieve in late October. As part of our continuing enhancements, users can expect these updates:

• Animated Camera Exporting - Now users will have the ability to export their time-lapse images in an animated file format.
• New Data Sets Added - Moon phases and additional weather related parameters will be available.
• What's Ahead - Integration of Greenhouse Gas Network data and modeling for 2012.

I hope you enjoyed this month's edition of Classroom Connections. Make sure to keep an eye on your inbox for the November edition to blow in - Katabatic Winds!

Regards,

The WeatherBug Schools Team
Phone: 800-544-4429, Ext. 2
Web: http://www.weatherbugschools.com

Be on the lookout for our next Classroom Connections in which we will explore Katabatic Winds.

Other Classroom Connections topics:

• Heatburst
• Mammatus Clouds
• Bolt out of the Blue
• Man-Made Weather
• Water Spouts
• Blood Sky
• Ice Bomb
• Dust Devils

Is there a topic you would like to see? Let us know:

connections@earthnetworks.com

Questions about the
WeatherBug Schools Program?

Contact:
800.544.4429, Ext. 2, or email
weatherbugschools@
earthnetworks.com