superbolt

English

Alternative forms

  • super bolt, super-bolt

Etymology

From super- +‎ bolt (“lightning bolt”).

Pronunciation

  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

superbolt (plural superbolts)

  1. (meteorology, rare) 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.
    • 1979, Kendrick Frazier, The Violent Face of Nature: Severe Phenomena and Natural Disasters‎[1], Morrow, →ISBN, page 97:
      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.
    • 1981, Marta Kowalczyk, Lightning as a source of NOx in the troposphere:
      This low lightning rate is insufficient to affect the global NOx production, however it may cause local enhancement near Japan where most superbolts occur.
    • 2015, Derek M. Elsom, Lightning: Nature and Culture:
      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.
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