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Hunga Tonga
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- 1Volcanic lightning puts on a 'dirty thunderstorm' display●This is volcanic lightning — a dirty thunderstorm. Ash particles colliding inside an eruption plume build up static char
Volcanic lightning, known as a dirty thunderstorm, occurs when ash particles colliding inside an eruption plume build up static charge until the cloud discharges bolts of lightning. The phenomenon drew renewed attention after mention of the 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption, which set the all-time record, unleashing more lightning than any storm ever recorded.