Predicting weather for space missions is tough enough. But when forecasts cover part of Florida’s lightning alley, where a rocket blasting off could spur strikes, the demands of the job can skyrocket.
“Launches can trigger lightning strikes even when you don’t have lightning in the area,” said Kathy Winters, a launch weather officer with the 45th Weather Squadron, who tracks the climate around Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
An electrical field, Winters explains, may already be present in the clouds. So when a rocket blasts off, it can induce a lightning strike with its trail of exhaust — a conductive path to the ground.
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