A thunderstorm photographer studies the mechanism of updraft lightning at the School of Mining and Technology. His and other studies have shown that there are two different types of updraft lightning. Both need a tall structure like a skyscraper or a wind turbine.
The first type requires having a regular top-down strike nearby first. The sudden disruption of the electric field causes the "lightning leader", a channel of positive or negative charge, to pass into the region of a thundercloud with the opposite charge.
The second type does not require a downward lightning strike nearby and can go up spontaneously.
Warner has been studying and filming these rare phenomena since he became fascinated with ascending lightning in 2004. To take his pictures and get data, he flies an armored plane right into the heart of the storm.
“Being able to feel storms up close and even from within is absolutely incredible,” says Warner. — It is difficult and requires powerful concentration. Every time I fly through a storm, I am convinced that this is not the place for a plane.”