15 Types of Blue Lightning vs. Regular Lightning: Latest Scientific Discoveries

8. Gnomes: The Ground-Level Enigma

Gnomes are a special class of blue lightning that happens far closer to the ground than typical upper-atmospheric events. Unlike common cloud-to-- ground lightning, which usually ends at the Earth's surface, gnomes are upward-propagating discharges produced by thunderstorms from lofty buildings or mountain tops. Recent studies reveal that the powerful electric fields generated during storms near the tops of tall things start gnomes. These domains can surpass the breakdown threshold of air, generating a blue plasma channel spanning several tens of meters that runs upward. Among the most fascinating features of gnomes is their possible influence in inducing more significant lightning discharges. Researchers have seen that occasionally the development of a gnome can cause a full-fledged lightning strike—either downward to the ground or upward to the cloud. Particularly for towering buildings and structures in lightning-prone regions, this finding has significant ramifications for lightning protection techniques.