Himalayan Thunderstorms Linked to Record-Breaking Red Sprite Displays

A groundbreaking study reveals how intense lightning storms over the Himalayas triggered over 100 red sprites, including rare phenomena never before documented in Asia.

Astrophotographers Angel An and Shuchang Dong captured over 100 red sprites on May 19, 2022, from the southern Tibetan Plateau, marking the highest number ever recorded in South Asia.
Researchers linked the sprites to high-peak current positive cloud-to-ground lightning strikes within a massive mesoscale convective system spanning over 77,220 square miles.
The event included rare secondary jets and Asia’s first documented ghost sprites, showcasing the region’s capacity for complex upper-atmospheric electrical discharges.
A novel timestamping method using satellite trajectories and star field analysis allowed scientists to match 70% of the sprites to their parent lightning discharges.
The findings, published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, highlight the Himalayas as a global hotspot for transient luminous events and provide tools for advancing meteorological research and citizen science.