The commonly accepted theory used to explain lightning is static electricity caused by friction between rain drop and upward air currents in rainstorm cloud and the buildup of electrical charge between cloud and ground. Eventually this charge is discharged with a lightning strike. I feel this explanation was accepted because no one had an alternate explanation. The objective of this discussion is to offer an alternate explanation and to suggest a reason why weather forecasts are not as accurate as they should be. My suggestion is that it is not the inaccuracy of the computer model that is the cause of the inaccuracy, but the fact that there is another significant source of energy input driving the weather other than solar radiation.
The overview of the alternate theory involves the solar wind’s interaction with the earth’s magnetic field. The solar wind is the name applied to stream of nuclear particles radiated by the sun due to plasma discharge during solar storms. Since this is plasma discharge the temperature is high enough, so the matter is disassociated electrons and nucleuses of negative and positive particles. Because of the way matter is structured the negative charged particles will have a higher charge to mass ratio than will the positive particles. Remember that all positive charged particles will be composed of protons and neutrons. Because of this difference in charge to mass ratio, it will the negative charged particles which will get trapped in the earth magnetic field while the positive particles will stream on through directly to earth. Because of this I am suggesting that the earth will become positively charged while the space within the earth’s magnetic field will become negatively charged. It will be this difference in potential which will be the driving force for all lightning strikes.
Note, that what I am suggesting is that lightning and northern lights, Aurora Borealis, and southern lights, Aurora Australis, have a common cause. That is the trapping of charge particles within the earth’s magnetic field.
My first and only hint of this theory was contained a natural science video about near earth phenomena which I think I saw on the National Geographic channel. This video described very short duration lightning flashes from near earth space to high clouds. These flashes were so short they could not be seen by necked eye but could only be observed on high-speed video. That is all I have on this subject without performing further research.