Types of Lightning

There are many terms to describe different kinds of lightning. Here are some of them:
In-Cloud Lightning: The most common type, it travels between positive and negative charge centers within the thunderstorm.
Cloud-to-Ground Lightning: This is lightning that reaches from a thunderstorm cloud to the ground.
Cloud-to-Cloud Lightning: A rare event, it is lightning that travels from one cloud to another.
Sheet Lightning: This is lightning within a cloud that lights up the cloud like a sheet of light.
Ribbon Lightning: This is when a cloud-to-ground flash is blown sideways by the wind, making it appear as two identical bolts side by side.
Bead Lightning: Also called "chain lightning," this is when the lightning bolt appears to be broken into fragments because of varying brightness or because parts of the bolt are covered by clouds.
Ball Lightning: Rarely seen, this is lightning in the form of a grapefruit-sized ball, which lasts only a few seconds.