Comments On ‘Observations of Two Regions of Charge During Initial Thunderstorm Electrification’ By J. E. Dye, J. J. Jones, A. J. Weinheimer and W. P. Winn (July 1988, 114, 1271‐1290)

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Abstract
Dye et al., in a 1984 thunderstorm study, identified regions containing electric charge in two growing clouds from measurements of the atmospheric electric fields taken, during penetrations of these clouds, by an instrumented aeroplane. There are, however, problems concerning the locations they assigned to these charges relative to the radar echoes from the clouds. In one case the authors identified the pressure altitude reported by the aeroplane pilot with the altitude of the radar echo top; this introduced an error of about 450m. In another case, the location given for the charged region relative to the cloud echoes is not compatible with the pilot's report of an updraught. While the authors measurements add to our knowledge of cloud electrification, some of their interpretation is questionable, and other explanations for the charged regions are possible.