On Aug 6, 2:25 pm, Weatherlawyer wrote:
On Aug 3, 3:17 pm, "Szczepan Bialek" wrote:

{snipped for brevity]


I remember reading an article about electrical charge dispersal in the
open atmosphere.ruling out that it can build up in clouds to the
extent that it causes lightning.

Which indicates that the charge must be developed instantaneously or
that the source must be related to another as yet unrecorded or
unassociated phenomenon.

If there was a charge involved in holding up a cloud, it would be
measurable in all cloud, at all times.

Depends if the charge potential is large enough to break-down the air
insulation. Otherwise you have a nice fat capacitor floating around.


It is difficult to understand how droplets can just hang in the sky
though.

Rather depends on the droplet size you're talking about. Updraughts
will keeps them up there until they are too heavy to be supported.
Below that and you're into water vapour which is a gas.