On Feb 8, 11:19 pm, "Weatherlawyer" wrote:
....ice in clouds is the key to really big electrical storms. Ice
creates lightning and often heavy rain.

Ice is vital to the development of lightning. Different-sized ice
particles within a cloud carry a positive or negative charge. As the
particles collide, that charge builds up. When the charge is released
-- we see lightning.

Satellites watch lightning flashes from space, helping scientists to
learn more about them.

"We know how much ice is associated with a given number of lightning
flashes, ...we can say something about the amount of rain that falls
out of those clouds."

The relationship between the number of lightning strikes and how many
ice crystals are present in clouds is the same regardless of different
atmospheric environments -over oceans, coasts, or continents.

The relationship between rain and lightning, in comparison, does not
show this same level of consistency: http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2006-10-11/

Stretching one's imagination a little, it is possible to think of the
"watery deep" that the good lord in his wisdom stretched out above us,
extends to the farthest reaches of the solar system.

And the crystals of them whatever they be, might in fact be the pulses
we see as guest stars in distant galaxies.

It may even explain the behaviour of "variable stars".
Wouldn't that be nice?