Uploaded August 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Our eyes miss a lot of the detail in lightning, because lightning is fast. Here are two different lightning strikes, recorded at a high speed, slowed down to varying degrees, to make the stepped leader more obvious. That's the part that branches outward, in steps, seeking a source of current. On the ends of the stepped leaders are recoil leaders. Research continues into exactly how those work. Whenever a branch finds current, the current flows back along that branch to the point of origin and creates the visible flash. That is the return stroke. There may be multiple return strokes, and those are what cause the multiple flashes that we do notice from what seems to be a single lightning strike.
Recorded with iPhone 11Pro, 240fps, wide angle, on tripod.
Meteorologist Alan Sealls
Facebook: AlanSeallsWeather
Twitter: @AlanSealls
Instagram: @AlanSealls
Web: alansealls.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Sealls
Educational science and weather videos for k-12 and even college level by subscription here weatherthings.com/TeacherVideos
Our eyes miss a lot of the detail in lightning, because lightning is fast. Here are two different lightning strikes, recorded at a high speed, slowed down to varying degrees, to make the stepped leader more obvious. That's the part that branches outward, in steps, seeking a source of current. On the ends of the stepped leaders are recoil leaders. Research continues into exactly how those work. Whenever a branch finds current, the current flows back along that branch to the point of origin and creates the visible flash. That is the return stroke. There may be multiple return strokes, and those are what cause the multiple flashes that we do notice from what seems to be a single lightning strike.
Recorded with iPhone 11Pro, 240fps, wide angle, on tripod.
Meteorologist Alan Sealls
Facebook: AlanSeallsWeather
Twitter: @AlanSealls
Instagram: @AlanSealls
Web: alansealls.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Sealls
Educational science and weather videos for k-12 and even college level by subscription here weatherthings.com/TeacherVideos
