Thread: What Color is Lightning?

Tweet

As the owner and manufacturer of i-Zombie Lightning Controllers, I find it interesting that there are so many posts on the Halloween Forum about what kind of light bulbs create the most realistic lightning effects. Many people insist you must have strobe lights for realistic lightning. Quite a few say it’s best to use photofloods. Some say halogen work lights are really good, while others like me, prefer colored lights for lightning. So which is the best? The white light of a strobe, the blue/white of photofloods or LEDs, the yellowish/white color of halogen and incandescent bulbs or the blue or amber tones used in theatrical settings?

We can’t all be right! Or can we? What do the experts say about the color of lightning?

What Color is Lightning?

Lightning takes on a range of colors, depending on conditions in the clouds and in the air.
Blue lightning within a cloud indicates the presence of hail.
Red lightning within a cloud indicates the presence of rain.
Yellow or orange lightning occurs when there is a large concentration of dust in the air.
White lightning is a sign of low humidity (amount of moisture in the air). White is the color of lightning that most often ignites forest fires.

Sources: Burroughs, William J., et. al. The Nature Company Guides: Weather, p. 240; Field, Frank. Doctor Frank Field's Weather Book, p. 201.

The simple fact is: There is no best light bulb or color of bulb for use in a lightning controller.
There are only preferences. You like this and they like that. All the bulbs and colors listed above will create realistic lightning. Use what fits your tastes and/or your wallet.

I have seen multicolor LEDs here: http://coin-pro-vending.com/ledbulbs.html

They come in literally dozens of color combination's, plus several new single colors

I dont use any lights. They make me sick. ={

interesting, thank you for posting the info.!