Charge Distribution in the Average Thunderstorm Cloud

Abstract

Ninety nine examples of electric field variations were chosen from the continuously observed data in Kyoto with a field mill during three summer seasons from 1965 to 1967, and were classified into 12 types of field variation patterns. A composite of the field variations which appear frequently has the following representative features: the negative field appears first in time, the time scale is about 1 hour and the field intensity is about ±5000V/m. A thunderstorm charge distribution model which gives the observed field patterns is presented, in which the charges are +120 Coul at the height of 8.5km, -120 Coul at 6.0km and +24 Coul at 3.0km where the negative main charge locates 0.2-0.6km ahead the other charges in the storm moving direction.